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Mike Donovan 



MIKE DONOVAN 



THE MAKING OF A MAN 



BY 



MARSHALL STILLMAN 



irT' 



ILLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK 
MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 

1918 



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Copyright, 1918, 
MOFFAT. YARD & COMPANY 



* • > 



OCT -2 1918 



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CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Early Years 17 

II. In School and Army 27 

III. First Fights 39 

IV. Roughing It 51 

V- Meeting Lincoln and Roosevelt . . 61 

VI. A Match with Jimmy Murray ... 75 

VII. Making a Reputation 8$ 

VIII. An Encounter with Sullivan . . . 109 

IX. The SuLLivAN-KiLRAiN Fight . . . 125 

X. Donovan AS Kilrain's Second . . . 154 

XI. A Fight with the London Cabbies . 161 

XII. Pupils 174 

XIII. Words of Advice on Methods of 

Living 192 

XIV. Incidents and Reminiscences . . . 205 

XV. Letters from Former Pupils and 

Friends 223 

XVI. Mike Donovan's Benefit .... 266 

XVII. Donovan's Death and Funeral . . 282 

APPENDIX. Donovan's Record .... 287 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mike Donovan Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE 
PAGE 

Mike and His Son Arthur 52 

The Making of a Man 104 

In the New York Athletic Club 232 



TO THE READER 

This work is written as an affectionate tribute 
to one who has come up out of brutal associations 
and who rejoiced in that he was surrounded by chil- 
dren of whom he was proud and by friends whom 
he loved. 

The author hopes that in the lack of minute detail 
in certain of the Professor's fights the reader will 
not be unduly disappointed. Those who have seen 
prize-ring bare-knuckle contests can fill in the lapses 
and those who have not been at the ring side are 
saved the knowledge that man descends to such 
brutality. 

To the innate integrity of Mike Donovan's char- 
acter and to the fortunate occurrence that he mar- 
ried early in life a woman of sterling worth who al- 
ways retained his utmost respect and strongest love, 
is due the fact that he is alive, well and enjoying 
good health and life to-day. 



A FOREWORD 

*'SoME as good citizens as I know are or were 
prize-fighters. Take Mike Donovan of New York. 
He and his family represent a type of American 
citizenship of which we have a right to be proud. 
Mike is a devoted temperance man and can be reHed 
upon for every movement in the interest of good 
citizenship. I was first intimately thrown with him 
when I was Police Commissioner. One evening he 
and I — both in dress suits — attended a temperance 
meeting of Catholic Societies. It culminated in a 
lively set-to between myself and a Tammany Sena- 
tor who was a very good fellow, but whose ideas of 
temperance differed radically from mine and as the 
event proved, from those of the majority of the 
meeting. Mike evidently regarded himself as my 
backer — he was sitting on the platform beside me 
— and I think felt as pleased and interested as if 
the set-to had been physical instead of merely 
verbal. 

"Afterwards I grew to know him well both while 
I was Governor and while I was President and 
many a time he came on and boxed with me." 

From the Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt. 



. INTRODUCTION 

Good old Mike is gone. In the twilight of life 
he has passed on. Seventy years young was Mike. 
None thought of him as old. He was young and, 
in vigor of manhood, he vied with the youngest 
of us wh^ loved him. His heart was as fresh and 
simple as a child's. He came into this world under 
the most humble, plain, yes, rough conditions, and 
he rose to be the honored friend of the cultured and 
refined. 

Mike was a patrician by birth. Through his veins 
ran the blood of Ireland's chieftains. He seldom 
mentioned that his descent could be traced through- 
out many centuries. Before he was eight years of 
age his beloved mother died. 

From then on to the time of his marriage Mike 
wandered over the United States working in all 
sorts of places and under any conditions. He en- 
listed when a mere boy in the army and served 
throughout the war. To hear him tell of the ex- 
periences of his early life was a treat. In the old 
New York Athletic Club house many a pleasant 
evening was spent in Mike's boxing quarters listen- 
ing to the interesting tales of his early career. His 
many fights with the bare knuckles and later on 

7 



8 INTRODUCTION 

with the gloves were told in Mike's inimitable way 
and great was the pleasure he gave to his large cir- 
cle of friends as they fought the old battles over 
again with the champion middle weight bare 
knuckle fighter of America. Mike never was de- 
feated either with the gloves or in any of his bare 
knuckle fights. He retired an undefeated cham- 
pion. 

From the day Mike came to the club to the day 
he passed on he was an integral part of the in- 
stitution. His jovial companionship when with us 
cheered and encouraged us and the memor}^ of the 
good old friend who has gone will ever be bright 
in our hearts. Our lives are indeed the richer for 
his good influence. Many a kindly word of counsel 
has been given from his store of worldly wisdom 
and it has helped. 

Mike was a great soul. For '^Great souls are not 
those which have fewer passions and more virtue 
than common ones, but those only which have 
greater aims." (La Rochefoucauld.) His aim was 
always high. He lived his religion of purity and 
brotherly love. Fearless and tireless for those 
things he considered the right he walked his path 
of life in simplicity and guilelessness beloved by us 
all. 

Never will be forgotten the evening of November 
14, 1 91 4, when the members of the club gave a 
testimonial in the form of a boxing entertainment 
to the dear old Professor. The wonderful spirit 



INTRODUCTION 9 

of affection which brought all together at the pass- 
ing of Mike Donovan from his active career in the 
organization, impelled each to put forward his best. 
The committee felt the incentive; the gathering en- 
tered with keen enjoyment into the spirit; and the 
boxers, many of whom came from long distances to 
participate, were carried away by the surcharged 
atmosphere. Several of the bouts which were sup- 
posed to be friendly exhibitions turned into battles 
of the first water. Blows were given and received 
with good nature but with great vigor. They had 
the businesslike kick behind them. 

Tommy Ryan, the ex-welterweight champion, who 
had retired ages ago, and Harry Stone, the then 
present champion, went at it hammer and tongs. As 
we looked at Gunboat Smith and Battling Levinsky, 
we could see no difference in the power of their 
blows had they been contesting for the light heavy- 
weight championship. The whole spirit of the even- 
ing was one of enthusiasm and determination to 
make the passing of dear old Mike into private life 
a memorable occasion. To make it an event that he 
would be proud to look back upon and ever recall 
with joy. It comes to few of us to be beloved in 
the manner with which we look upon our good 
friend who has passed on to the great majority. 
But we reap that which we sow. Our Mike sowed 
deeds of kindness and affection, and he has reaped a 
rich harvest. 

Prof. Mike Donovan was a credit to the sport 



lo INTRODUCTION 

of boxing. To him can be conceded the place of 
honor as the greatest teacher the game has ever 
known. He was fired with enthusiasm and im- 
parted that spirit to his pupils. He was a two- 
handed fighter himself and a hard hitter; those 
qualities were made those of his students. To sit 
on the side-lines in the boxing room and watch the 
Professor on his busy days, was a liberal education 
in the art of hit, stop and get-away. He was as 
quick as a cat and never lost his keen sense of 
orientation. Many men, in fact the great majority, 
in early life lose their ability to coordinate brain 
and muscle and consequently suffer many accidents 
which could be avoided if that sense were preserved. 
The Professor knew boxing could perform that serv- 
ice for men and advised its universal practice. 

Wherever Mike went he was known. He was as 
well and favorably known and admired in Newport 
or Southampton as in Coney Island or Greenpoint. 
He belonged to all sections and counted his friends 
in all grades of life. Statesmen and politicians, 
clergy and laity, were proud to call him friend. To 
hear him relate his experiences when Colonel Roose- 
velt was President was indeed amusing. Several 
times he journeyed to Washington to exchange 
blows with the hard-hitting ex-President. One 
evening there was to be a large reception to the 
army and navy. Mike was asked by the President 
to remain over and enjoy the event. 



INTRODUCTION ii 

"I haven't any 'wedding garment/ '' replied 
Mike. 

"You must stay, Mike," enthusiastically urged 
the President. 'Tf one of mine would fit you I 
would let you have it, but you can hire one in town 
and nobody will know the difference.'' 

So the Professor was induced to stay and ap- 
peared that evening in the line arrayed in all his 
hired glory. His astonishment could hardly be im- 
agined when he was ushered out of the line by one 
of the functionaries and taken to the front of the 
procession and presented to the President ahead of 
the venerable Admirals and celebrities of the diplo- 
matic corps. Grabbing the professor by the hand 
the President drew him over to him and whispered 
in his ear: 

"Glad to see you, Mike. You look bully." 

Mike was very glad he remained over, for he 
enjoyed himself immensely. And as he walked 
around that room, chatting with personages of high 
distinction, we can well imagine his noble head was 
carried as proudly and becomingly and as hand- 
somely as any within the four walls of the White 
House. Our Mike was equal to any environment 
be it that of the home of culture, or of state, or of 
more modest and plain surroundings. And he drew 
all to him. His respectful, dignified and attractive 
bearing was pleasing to the most exacting in refine- 
ment. Mike was a spiritual force. He reacted on 
his hearers in a manner they could not resist. Mike 



12 INTRODUCTION 

saw good in every one, because he was pure of heart. 
He saw God, for "the pure in heart see God." 
Grant that we may all be worthy to- follow in his 
footsteps and some day meet with him again. 



THE MANLY ART 

The world is comprised of people who see life 
from many points of view. 

The life of a professional pugilist, as a rule, has 
in it but little to be praised ; to some the thought of 
prize-fighting or even boxing is abhorrent, but to 
the athletic, energetic youth, boxing or even a little 
blood letting is often beneficial. 

Prize-fighting per se cannot be recommended. 
However, many men of culture and refinement have 
seen much to enjoy in the wonderful dexterity, the 
marvelous science of an expert boxer pitted against 
a slugging, rushing opponent. 

An exhibition given by a master of the art of 
self-defense revealing astonishing coordination of 
brain and muscle is most fascinating to those who 
know. 

In the heat of the contest blows which appar- 
ently are severe are really but little felt. A man 
in good condition and with mind intent on victory 
knows no pain. 

The boxer who suffers is he who has mentally 
conceded defeat and who winces under every at- 
tack. Such men should be taken from the contest 
at once. 

13 



14 THE MANLY ART 

An experienced referee can always tell when the 
heart has gone. Then blows hurt. Then it is 
brutal to continue. 

Another feature of boxing matches is the mental 
state of the spectators. 

Unthinking men resolve all contests to a fight. 
The more gore the better the fight. That is merely 
the distorted view of brutal thinking. So can danc- 
ing be debased. So can art be debauched. So can 
the sight of a beautiful woman be made the oc- 
casion for sin. It is all in the angle from which 
we look. 

Mike Donovan, boxing instructor emeritus of the 
New York Athletic Club, embodied all that is best 
in the manly art. His life can be read by the refined 
and cultured as well as by others, and profit may be 
gained. The youth can learn the advantage of a 
stout heart and active body. Mike's life was rich 
in kindness of heart, generosity of nature, and high 
ideals maintained under adverse circumstances, and 
nurtured and encouraged by his beloved wife. 

Living in most unpropitious environment the 
golden thread of an honest, sturdy and noble heart 
can be seen interwoven with threads of a darker 
hue. 

From the nature, in his early youth, of an Arab — ■ 
his hand against every man and every man's hand 
against him — he evolved gradually into the Philis- 
tine and then his later years were ones of sober- 
ness, gentleness and peace. 



THE MANLY ART 15 

The Professor heartily agreed with Maeterlinck, 
the Belgian writer and philosopher, who is reported 
as saying: 

"Boxing is not degrading. It is the discipline of 
violence. It is violence civilized by conventions that 
are almost courtesies. The Boxer is not a rowdy. 
He is confident in his knowledge. Combative in- 
stincts are an integral part of our nature. They 
who lack them, lack mental energy.'' 

The Professor rightly contended that every 
human being should know the art of self-defense 
with the weapons nature has given him. When one 
becomes expert in boxing and cares for that form 
of exercise, he will find it a most delightful pas- 
time; freeing the mind from gloomy thoughts, re- 
lieving the tension of the nerves; strengthening the 
muscles ; helping circulation and aiding all the func- 
tions of the vital organs. 

No more delightful pastime in athletics can be 
imagined than the good-natured bout with the 
gloves. 

The manly art of self-defense must not be mis- 
construed into the idea that it is the unmanly art of 
making onCvSelf offensive. 

Kind words and a kindly thought are often more 
effective than fists or weapons and when trouble 
arises should always be first employed. 



MIKE DONOVAN 



CHAPTER I 



EARLY YEARS 



Here are the incidents of Mike Donovan's re- 
markable career and his reminiscences of many well- 
known men. Written by his friend and admirer 
Marshall Stillman, as an affectionate tribute to a 
dear friend and talented instructor in the manly art 
of self-defense. He considers Mike Donovan one 
of the most exceptional and interesting characters 
he has ever met. 

Mike Donovan was made Instructor Emeritus of 
the New York Athletic Club. The Board of Gov- 
ernors generously and affectionately voted him a 
sufficient stipend to keep him in comfort during his 
last days. 

His wife, who was so great an influence for good, 
was the beloved mother of twelve children, of whom 
nine are living. They were well brought up and 
are now succeeding in life. 

Recently Mrs. Donovan passed on, but she still 
lives in the hearts of those that knew her, 

17 



i8 MIKE DONOVAN 

The Professor was surrounded with a devoted 
family that loved him. Mark the contrast between 
his late life and the sad conditions of his early 
youth. What must strike the reader most forcibly 
is the wonder of it all. Wonder that such a charac- 
ter could spring from such adverse conditions and 
influences. 

The evening Mike and I selected for the telling of 
his tale, he met me at my downtown club where 
we could talk without fear of interruption. 

Before he arrived I cautioned the hall boy to be 
sure Prof. Donovan was escorted to the room where 
I was and to take good care of him. 

*'Yes, sir/' came the ready answer. "We'll take 
care of him. We want to see what kind of a man 
he looks like.'' 

As a reward for the boys, when the Professor 
was announced, I came down to meet him and in- 
troduced all the attendants who had crowded near 
the door. 

Mike shook hands with them all and said : "Well, 
boys, here I am, you don't see much." A good laugh 
followed and the broad smile of welcome that 
greeted the Professor was assurance of his imme- 
diately filling the bill of their expectations. With 
quick Irish sagacity he said, looking them all over : 
"Yes, all good Irish boys. Nothing like the Irish 
boys." This sally evidently confirmed the cordial 
admiration and all was well. 

As Mike sat in an easy chair in a cozy corner of 



EARLY YEARS 19 

the club library, running over the history of his life, 
the thought occurred to me time and again what a 
miracle it was that he should be there with me; 
comfortable, happy and prospered; wasting no time 
in regrets for the past and facing the future with a 
brave Irish heart that has never been conquered by 
fear. A noble exponent of all that is manly, clean 
and Christian. A devout Roman Catholic. A 
firm believer in the Fatherhood of God and the 
brotherhood of Man. A Christian of the highest 
type. 

Yes, I wondered; and you too, good reader, will 
also wonder, when you learn of the incidents of this 
remarkable career. If perchance you have no God 
you will feel a stirring within yourself, a heart's 
desire to know and be known to some power outside 
yourself that will give you comfort in your hours of 
trial and protection in your moments of need. 

Mike's faith was that of a little child, sweet and 
simple and full of the joy of living and knowing. 
Mike's good mother established this faith within 
him that through the changes of his life never 
sfeemed to desert him. Although at times in touch 
with the rubbish of humanity this jewel of a simple 
child-faith in God ever showed forth in his manly 
character and protected him in his moments of peril. 

Through the leading of this protecting Guide, 
he selected the life partner of his joys and trials, 
taking as his beloved wife one who in her sweet 



20 MIKE DONOVAN 

and strong motherly way was as extraordinary a 
woman as he a man. 

Mike lighted a cigar and with his finely formed 
head moving at times in emphasis to his remarks, 
he commenced his reminiscence. I wish every good 
reader of these articles could have heard the tale 
from his own lips; as my retelling of this history 
could not possibly interest the reader as much as 
would the engaging manner of this grand old man. 
He said very simply and earnestly, '*Now, Mar- 
shall, I will, of course, pass over the dark spots. I 
cannot tell them in the presence of this young lady" 
(referring to the stenographer). The stenog- 
rapher and I laughed. "Well,'' I said, "if they are 
not too dark let 'em go. We want everything of in- 
terest." "All right," said Mike, "here goes." 

"I was born in Chicago, September 27th, 1847, ^^ 
Irish parentage. My grandparents were among the 
earliest settlers of Chicago. 

"My mother was a lovely woman, beautiful and 
with a skin as fair and soft as a lily. We kept a 
dairy, and were in a fair way of becoming rich, 
owing to the good management and frugality of 
my mother. Then she died. 

"I was about seven years of age. My father, 
who did not understand the nature of a lively but 
good-tempered boy, treated me wretchedly, and as 
my brothers and sisters, who were all older than I, 
left the house as soon after my mother's death as 
they possibly could, I was left alone with my father. 



EARLY YEARS 2t 

He at last left me, after selling all his holdings, 
and wandered away to New Orleans, leaving me 
in the care of an aunt who lived in the country. 

"My aunt was a fine type of woman: religious, 
and a good woman. She treated me all right, but 
my uncle and I couldn't get along. He didn't un- 
derstand me. I suppose I was mischievous and 
bothered him. Anyway, we didn't agree, and I 
made up my mind to run away. I was then eight 
years of age, without a cent in the world, so I 
started to work for strangers. I was ill treated by 
these people, and went from one place to another, 
working on farms during harvest time and being 
expected to do a man's work. 

''I remember at one place I had seven boils on 
my back, and, oh, how they did pain me and how 
I did want my mother to comfort me and take care 
of me. I tell you, it makes me feel like crying to 
think of it. To imagine one of my dear children 
thrown out in the world the way I was and sub- 
jected to the sorrows and sufferings that I had to 
endure makes me feel very sad. 

"The wife of the farmer for whom I was work- 
ing was a kind woman. She put cream over my 
back and laid a cloth next my skin. But I had to 
go to work with the men every day and pitch hay, 
and do just as they did. 

"After the harvest time was over, I decided to 
hunt up my only brother, Jerry, who was in Chi- 



22, MIKE DONOVAN 

cago. He was ten years older than I and always 
liked me and I liked him. 

"I was some fifty miles from Chicago without a 
cent in my pocket, as all I got out of the farmers 
for whom I worked was my board and washing, 
and the boils on my back, which were the result of 
the poor food. How to get to Chicago was the 
question. I thought of the canal. My former ex- 
perience of beating it on the railroad when I first 
ran away rather cooled my desire to tackle that 
again. 

"Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you about the first time 
I ran away from my aimt's where my father left 
me. 

"I wanted to go to Chicago to find my brother 
Jerry, and went down to the railroad and got 
aboard a train going in the wrong direction. Poor 
little kid, only eight years of age, and without a 
penny in the world. 

"The conductor put me off at the next station. 
I waited for hours for another train, boarded it, 
and was again put off at the next station. But I 
was happy. I felt all the time I was getting nearer 
my brother Jerry. 

"Then I tackled a freight train, and, sneaking 
between the cars, I rode on the bumpers for miles 
and miles. Just think of it — only eight years of 
age and riding in a place like that. The good Lord 
took care of me or I would never be here to tell you 
this tale.'' 



EARLY YEARS 23 

['^Yes/' I thought, "the Good Lord was surely 
your protector and the spirit of that good mother 
was over that boy and doing her utmost." The pas- 
sage from Scripture occurred to me : "The eyes of 
the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are 
open unto their prayers." The heart's desire, which 
is true prayer, was always pure and strong in Mike's 
nature. He couldn't help it. His nature was so 
simple and unaffected, with a keen sense of honor, 
fair dealing both for himself and to others, and 
cleanliness of thought, he couldn't possibly desire 
anything but what was good. The pure in heart 
see God, and Mike was pure in heart.] 

Mike lit a fresh cigar and continued his story: 

"Well, after traveling all those miles on that 
freight train, I finally landed about five miles from 
my aunt's home, where I originally started. I was 
no nearer my brother Jerry. You see how ignorant 
and helpless I was. I didn't know which way was 
north or south. I felt blue but not discouraged. 
"You know, it's hard to down the Irish." [The 
stenographer being Irish, and there being Irish 
blood in my veins, we all three laughed heartily and 
agreed. The laugh was not so much occasioned by 
the statement as the delightfully refreshing man- 
ner of putting it.] 

"I set to work," continued Mike, "to scheme how 
I could beat my way to Chicago. I thought of the 
canal. I went there and hung around thinking up 
some plan to help me on my way. 



24 MIKE DONOVAN 

"I saw a pair of horses being driven into a stable 
by one of the canal men, and, noticing they were all 
covered with mud, I said to the man, *Say, Mister, 
I want to go to Chicago, and if I clean your horses 
will you take me as far as you go ?' 

'* 'Sure,' said the driver. *Git on the job and I'll 
see you git there all right/ 

"Gee, but I felt good about that. I started right 
in, and how I worked on those horses. It took me 
tv/o hours of hardest kind of work to get them into 
shape, but after emptying the last pail of dirty 
water, I felt fine and hunted up my newly found 
friend. 

"I asked a man who was around the stable where 
I could find the driver of that team I had been 
cleaning, saying that he was going to take me to 
Chicago. 'Say, sonny,' replied the man, 'don't you 
believe it. That man can't take you. He is nothing 
but the driver of that team and could only take you 
walking. He's been asleep for the last couple of 
hours that you've been workin', and if you don't 
git out of here he'll give you a licking when he 
comes down.' 

"You can imagine how I felt. Cry? Oh, my, 
how I cried ! But I was too proud to cry in front 
of him. I went away and got behind the barn and, 
leaning up against the side, I cried as if my heart 
would break. 

"Well, I had to get to Chicago, so, after drying 
my eyes, I started to walk. I didn't know how far 



EARLY YEARS 25 

it was, but I thought it would take me a lifetime 
to make the distance. So when I met with a canal 
boat going the same way, I asked the boss of the 
boat — this time I made sure he was the boss — if I 
could do anything for him, as I wanted to get to 
Chicago. 

" 'Can you pump?' 

'' 'Sure/ 

*' 'Come on then, kid/ 

"I jumped aboard, and how I did pump! It was 
a leaky old boat, and about as fast as I pumped, 
the water ran in. After pumping an awfully long 
time, I said : 

" "^Say, Mister, Fm tired. This old boat is just 
as full of water as when I commenced. I can't 
pump any more/ 

" 'Well, then, get the hell out of this !' 

"That was all the thanks I got. So, as I noticed 
I could walk faster than the boat could go, I started 
to beat it to Chicago. It must have been at least 
forty miles that I walked. 

"On my way I begged something to eat. I re- 
member one old woman was very kind to me. She 
gave me my dinner and let me sleep with one of 
her sons. 

"In the morning she gave me a bully breakfast 
of ham and eggs and coffee, and, by golly! I felt 
fine. 

"I walked that day with a light heart, and, on 
arriving at Chicago, I hunted up a sporting house 



26 MIKE DONOVAN 

where a friend of my brother's told me I would 
find him. Pat McBride was his name. I remember 
him well. 

"Jerry was very much surprised to see me. He 
was kind to me and took good care of me, but 
shortly afterwards he was compelled to go to New 
Orleans.'' 

* ♦ 4« Hs * * 

That finished the first evening's installment of the 
story. 

As we left the Club we received a cheery good- 
night from all the attendants, and I could easily see 
that in the future I would be considered one of Ihe 
distinguished members. 



CHAPTER II 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 



On the occasion of the next meeting the Pro- 
fessor remarked to me, "Why, the more I think 
over my Hfe, the more I can see it was nothing but 
fight, fight all the way through. It seems as if I 
fought with everybody/' 

"Well, Mike," said I, "you are making yourself 
to appear a pretty quarrelsome character. You 
never fought with me." 

"Oh, well, no; I don't mean I fought with my 
friends. Of course I wouldn't fight with them.-' 

Wouldn't fight with them, thought I? I just 
guess you wouldn't. Bless your dear old loyal 
heart. And the remembrance of a certain incident 
in good old Mike's acquaintance with me came 
clearly to my mind. 

It must have been some twenty years ago. We 
had known each other and been friends for about 
t^n years. I was attending a testimonial given Mike 
in the Madison Square Garden. It was during the 
time when it was the custom to give exhibitions 
for the benefit of a few prominent fighting men of 
that period. 

«7 



28 MIKE DONOVAN 

The Garden was well filled. Many boxers of 
more or less renown appeared and sparred three- 
round bouts with their partners.. 

Billy Edwards sparred with Mike. It was a good 
go, as Billy never faked in a match. He always 
hit hard and was very fast. Being lighter than 
Mike, the Professor was compelled to step lively, 
as he couldn't get back at Billy too hard. 

It was an enjoyable evening. After it was over, 
and many friends in the audience had met and 
shaken hands — most men attending sporting events 
in those days seemed to know one another — I lin- 
gered in the thinning crowd, thinking I might get 
an opportunity to congratulate Mike. 

As I stood waiting, chatting with some acquaint- 
ance, Denny Butler, Mike's brother-in-law, rushed 
up to me and said: '^You are just the man. Come 
with me. We're having trouble with Mike. We 
can't do anything with him." 

It seems that Mike, who was always so full of 
life and energy, had been given a drink or two, and 
while under the least influence of alcohol, coul^ 
never retain his mental poise. Mike was in a 
pretty ugly mood, owing to the fact that he felt 
that the tough crowd in his dressing room was try- 
ing to get the money that had been given to him as 
receipts for the night's entertainment. 

When I came into the room, there was Mike, 
with his back to the wall, fire in his eye, fists ready 
to strike, and, withal, rather a terrifying spectacle. 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 29 

The crowd in front of him seemed in no mood to 
retreat, and it is just likely Mike's suspicions were 
properly grounded. 

As I approached, he lowered his guard and said : 
^'Marshall, these men want to take me away with 
them. I know what they want to do. They want 
to rob me.'' 

I said : "Mike, you come with me. Til take you 
home all right." 

"I'll go with you, my boy, but not with these 
dirty loafers." 

So, with my arm affectionately placed in his arm, 
we pushed our way through the crowd, and, taking 
a cab, reached his house in good shape. 

Mike always trusted his friends, but was sus- 
picious of untried acquaintances. 

And who could blame him ? It seems to me that 
if my early life were comprised of similar expe- 
riences to those he had passed through, I, too, would 
have been suspicious, and even more so. 

After the Professor had taken his easy chair, 
and lighted his cigar, he again started his most 
fascinating tale. 

"Let me see. Where did I leave off?" The 
promptings being given him from the notes of the 
stenographer, he proceeded : 

"Yes. When my brother Jerry left for New Or- 
leans I felt pretty bad. But I knew he had to go. 
So I had to make the best of it. He did what he 
could for me and left me in the care of my uncle, 



30 MIKE DONOVAN 

Owen Sullivan, who was a good but eccentric man 
and, on occasions, very cruel to me. 

^*I remember receiving the worst beating of my 
life from his hands. 

"He was connected with the Fire Department 
On one occasion when there was a fire in Chicago — 
it being a very cold day — ^he told me to build a fire 
in the stove for the men so that it would be com- 
fortable for them when they returned. I did as 
he told me, and then went home to bed. 

"The following morning Uncle Owen called me 
into the stable near the Fire House. He locked the 
door and beat me with a whip so hard and cruelly 
that the foreman of the Fire House broke down 
the door, and, stopping him, told my uncle he ought 
to be hanged for beating a boy like that. 

"It seems that some money had been taken from 
the pockets of the firemen during their absence at 
the fire. My uncle accused me of the theft, and 
because I would not admit it he beat me frightfully. 

"I told him, *I didn't do it. You can kill me, for 
I will never say I did — for I didn't' 

"I was then about twelve years old. 

"After I had recovered from the effects of the 
beating I did a little detective work on my own 
account. 

"I noticed a certain boy, who was the brother of 
the assistant engineer, smoking a new meerschaum 
pipe. I asked him where he got that pipe. His 
answer was not ready, neither did I like his looks. 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 31 

I discovered he had been spending money freely in 
the candy stores. Finally, I accused him of steal- 
ing the money out of the pockets of the firemen. 
He admitted it. 

"My uncle learned of the facts, but never spoke 
to me about the matter. I left him. I wouldn't 
remain with such a man. 

*'I beat my way on freight trains, and finally lo- 
cated with some farmers named Adams, where I 
worked during 1858-59 and 60, and then returned 
to Chicago. 

"My school life was not a very long one, but it 
was a stormy one. There were very few Irish boys 
going to school with me. Although I was a good- 
natured boy, I would not stand teasing. If any one 
called me 'Mickie,' in a teasing way, I'd fight. 
When I was mad a good fist fight was the only 
thing that would satisfy me. I gloried in it. Pok- 
ing any fun at my Irish descent meant fight. 

"I had a keen sense of fairness. One day the 
teacher told me to take my seat. I was after a boy 
who had taken my cap. 

I will if you'll make him give me my cap.' 
'You take your seat.' 
^Not until I get my cap.' 

The teacher started for me, and I saw where I 
was going to be roughly handled, so bang, smash, 
I hit the teacher on the nose and one in the stom- 
ach. I was a husky boy for my age, and the blow§ 



it (• 



32 MIKE DONOVAN 

must have hurt, for the teacher quit. He returned 
to his desk and proceeded with the lessons. 

"The next day when going into the school I hap- 
pened to notice under the front stoop some newly 
cut hickory switches. There were about a dozen 
of them. I concluded I had better beat it than have 
the teacher beat me. So I hustled across the fields, 
and never went back to that school. 

**My life was full of fight from the cradle to the 
time I quit the ring, and even after that I had a few. 
You remember one of the last ones I had. I had 
been spending the evening with you. You remem- 
ber you wanted me to meet some Irish friends of 
yours from out of town. 

"After we parted from you, we went into Jimmy 
Wakely's and had a small beer for a nightcap. At 
the bar was standing a member of the club, an old 
pupil of mine. 

"He had been drinking heavily, and just as I 
came in he seemed to have vertigo. I caught him 
in my arms, and, leading him to a chair, I stood 
over him to see what could be done. 

"At that moment three husky-looking fellows 
opened the door, and, coming over to where we 
were, one of them said : 'Look out for that gray- 
haired old sucker. He'll pick your pockets/ 

"Well, you know, I couldn't stand for that. I 
punched him in the stomach and knocked him down. 
No sooner down than he was up again and went 
at me. This time I copped him on the jaw. Down 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 33 

he went again, and again up and at me. I was 
ready for him that time, and I tell you the blow I 
hit him he'll remember. That time he stayed down. 

'*It was all done so quickly that the other two 
men made no attempt to get into the fight, and it 
was just as well for them they didn't, for the bar- 
tender was a friend of mine and was waiting be- 
hind the bar with a club. He told me that after- 
wards. He didn't interfere at first, as he saw I 
was equal to the tough. He said that was the third 
night those same men had been in, and each night 
they had tried to pick a fight One of them got it 
that night, and he got what he deserved. 

"Yes, my school life was full of fighting— but I 
made many friends. 

"You see, I was Irish, and there were few Irish 
in the country where I was at that time. There 
were two boys I remember well. Joe Drake and 
Jesse Drake, brothers. They were Southerners. 
They were good friends of mine, but like all boys 
we had lots of fights together. Fight and make up 
and that way. Their father was a nice man. He 
was a trustee of the school. 

"One day I licked a Dutchman. He called me 
*Mickie.' I was freckled-faced, and I guess I must 
have looked the part. I ran for him and caught 
him at the door of his father's tavern, where he 
had tripped on the door-still. He got up and we 
had it hot and heavy. Nobody was around, and I 
licked him well. His hollering at last brought 



34 MIKE DONOVAN 

his mother, who rushed at me with a broomstick. 

"I ran back to school as fast as I could, and she 
after me. She came right in and saw the teacher. 

"Old man Hartman was also a trustee. 

"I was called up before the Board. The Board 
seemed to be divided whether I should be expelled 
or not. It depended on old man Drake. He got 
up and said: 

" ^My boys have had many a fight with young 
Donovan. Yes, and been licked, too. But I like 
the spirit of the boy. He's a good square boy. All 
boys fight. I wouldn't give anything for a boy who 
wouldn't fight.' 

"That settled it — they didn't fire me. I got bet- 
ter acquainted with young Hartman after that. He 
had a good-looking sister. She was a nice girl and 
I liked her. I liked girls; they were so gentle and 
nice. So diflferent from boys. 

"I remember Freddie Siegle at Hale's Corners. 
He was German, and a small boy. Many a fight I 
had with him. I remember licking an English boy 
named Harris. He was a fat boy. He made fun 
of the Irish. 

"My schooling didn't amount to much. I finally 
quit when I was about fourteen. 

"On July 5th, 1862, I enlisted in the army — in 
the infantry. I was then fourteen years old — 
wouldn't be fifteen until September. 

"Think of it! Nothing but a kid." [Yes; I did 
think of it. I could see Mike with his stout Irish 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 35 

heart filled with enthusiasm when he saw his elders 
getting ready for the fight. I imagine it was only- 
necessary to use the word *^fight'' with Mike and 
that brought his signature. The great importance 
of preserving the Union undoubtedly did not pene- 
trate into the consciousness of the venturesome lad.] 

"The first duty my regiment was appointed to 
was fighting the guerrillas at Bird's Point, Colum- 
bus, Kentucky, Paducah, and other points on the 
Mississippi. 

"Fighting this dirty crowd merely got our hand 
in trim for the many serious battles that were to 
follow. 

"In 1863 we went down to help reinforce Grant 
at Chattanooga. 

"It is hardly necessary for me to go into detail 
concerning the various battles I was in. The events 
of the late war are so well known that I will not 
bother; you with matters of general information. 

"Nothing really very exciting happened to me 
during the war. It was fight and wait and fight 
and march until we were mustered out. 

"It was a shame we had to fight those people. 
The Johnnies were a bully lot of fellows. They 
thought they were right, but they have since found 
out they were wrong. It was a pity they couldn't 
have seen that at first. 

"The army was full of youngsters — young kids 
of the same age as I. 

"In 1864 ^y regiment joined Sherman's com- 



36 MIKE DONOVAN 

mand in his march to the sea — the Atlanta cam- 
paign. 

''We had many tough fights, and any one who 
tells you that soldiers have no fear when going 
into battle is not telling the truth. 

"I don't mind fists or flying brick-bats, but when 
they commence to shoot lead and iron around — 
it gives you a queer feeling. 

''When you're charging and yelling you forget 
yourself in the excitement of the moment. You 
w^ant to get there just as quickly as you can. Of 
course, when you are fighting close you don't think 
of much either; but at most other times you are 
thinking of home and mother. You feel sure you 
are going to be killed. You always realize there is 
danger. 

"There were not many Irish in my regiment, and 
I was called upon to fight with my fists a number 
of times. These fights were nothing out of the or- 
dinary. Most of them were easy. 

"One time I remember I angered the cook. We 
had a treat of Irish potatoes. The only potatoes 
we could get were the sweet potatoes. So when we 
found out we were to have Irish potatoes it caused 
some excitement. 

"In my anxiety to get one before they were 
served in the regular way I angered the cook, and 
the fellow threw a knife at me that he happened 
to have in his hand. It struck me on the inside of 
the leg, pretty near the hip. The blade cut me quite 



IN SCHOOL AND ARMY 37 

deep. The son-of-a-gun might have killed me ; but 
he was sorry for it, and in a few days I was all 
right, and the cook and I were good friends. 

"There was one little incident that will show you 
what boys will do. What pranks they will be up to. 

*The night before the battle at Newhope Church 
the Eastern fellows were chucking dice. They had 
a big pot of money in front of them, and three of 
us got together and we decided to raid them. 

''We rushed in and stampeded them. They 
thought the Johnnies were after them. We got all 
the money — about two hundred dollars — and we di- 
vided it amongst ourselves. The next day one of 
these boys was killed. I remember the feeling that 
came over me. Maybe it was a sin and he hadn't 
been forgiven. 

"At this point Johnston was relieved, and Hood 
became Commander of the Confederate troops. 
Johnston was very unpopular and was called by 
some a traitor. 

"About this time I was relieved, too — relieved 
from going on the firing line, and, you 'betcher,' 
I was glad. Never mind how much you like fight- 
ing, the firing line is no joke. As Sherman said, 
'War is hell !' and on the firing lines, at times, you 
would think hell had broken loose. So when one 
day in front of Atlanta the Assistant to the Com- 
missary General was riding by my company street, 
happening to see me, he took me for his orderly, 
I was mighty glad. 



38 MIKE DONOVAN 

"He was a very fine-looking man by the name of 
Root. 

"He said : *Captain, I like the looks of that boy. 
Who is he?' 

"^ Why, his name is Donovan, Sir,' replied the 
Captain. ^He's a good boy and his only fault is he 
will fight/ 

" 'Oh, that's no fault,' said the officer. 'I like 
boys who will fight. I need an orderly. Can I have 
him?' 

"So I was then installed as orderly, and I felt 
pretty big. 

"There is an incident that made a lasting im- 
pression on my memory. Major General McPher- 
son's men were stationed very close to Sherman's 
camp, and McPherson saw Sherman every day. 
McPherson had ridden to Headquarters, and he and 
Sherman were sitting together on a log looking at 
a map which was spread out on General Sherman's 
knees. They heard heavy firing on our left, and 
McPherson jumped to his feet. I saw him shake 
hands with Sherman, mount and ride away as fast 
as he could go. A half-hour afterward he was 
killed." 



CHAPTER III 



FIRST FIGHTS 



On the occasion of our third meeting the Pro- 
fessor got quickly into his stride. 

"Let me see, we left oflf at the death of General 
McPherson. 

"Later in the day I learned through an eye-wit- 
ness that a boy of nineteen years of age had shot 
McPherson as he appeared on a knoll just in front 
of our line. The General had been warned not to 
go on that knoll, but he wanted to get a better view 
of the field of battle, and the fear of danger did not 
deter him. I learned years afterward that the boy 
never ceased to regret having shot the brave Gen- 
eral. 

"Hood's men rifled the body and took some valu- 
able papers, which were afterwards recovered, and 
are now in the archives at Washington. Mr. F. S. 
Church, the artist, was the man that turned over 
the papers to the authorities. McPherson' s body 
was recovered by us, and was buried with honors. 

"Marching and fighting we worked our way to 
the sea. 

"I remember having a good time at Savannah 

39 



40 MIKE DONOVAN 

racing horses. I captured a full-blooded Kentucky 
mare, leaving a mule in place of it. The mule was 
of much more use to the farmers than a highly- 
strung horse, so my conscience didn't trouble me 
much. I guess boys don't have much conscience 
anyway. 

''On one occasion when I was out riding a very 
handsome officer asked who I was and whether I 
had a brother Jerry. On learning that Jerry was 
my brother, he told my captain that Jerry was the 
hardest man he had ever boxed with. The officer's 
name was Fred Whitehead, a great boxer, at that 
time serving under General Osterhaus. 

"From then on I was the little white-haired boy 
with my Captain. 

"Nothing further of interest occurred in my life 
till the close of the war, when we came on to Wash- 
ington for the rally of the Army, and all were dis- 
missed to go back to their homes. 

"It was a wonderful act for that vast army to lay 
down its arms quietly and return to their homes 
and take up their duties as they had left them. 

"I went back to Chicago in June, 1865. 

"On my return from the war I felt like a man. 
The men that had been unkind to me I remem- 
bered, and I hunted up one or two of them and gave 
them a thrashing, especially if I found out they had 
not been to the war. 

"Work in Chicago not being to my liking, and 



FIRST FIGHTS 41 

hearing of wages of six dollars a day being paid 
in St. Louis, I went there. 

"Now up to this time, you know, I had never 
put on a boxing glove. At times we were accus- 
tomed to put rags around the hands and box a 
bit that way, but I had never put on a regular box- 
ing glove until I came to St. Louis after the war. 

"There was a pretty tough place in the town 
where men used to go to see glove contests. I 
made up my mind that I was going to be one of 
the performers, so I watched the prize-fighters care- 
fully, and practiced up the points I got, and when 
I felt I could handle myself all right, I started in 
taking on all comers. 

"By golly! They thought I was a wonder, I 
could hit as well with my left hand as I could with 
my right, and the way I sailed in was a surprise to 
them. I could fight like a wild cat. 

"A half dozen fellows, big fellows, too, they 
were, and of some reputation, I licked without much 
trouble, 

"There was one fellow, however, that trimmed 
me nicely. He was a little fellow. Square shoul- 
der, short and stocky. I couldn't seem to get to 
him, I had been meeting fellows so big that when 
I hit at them I couldn't miss them, but this little 
chap was so small in comparison I couldn't find his 
head, and his stomach was so small and well- 
muscled I couldn't find that either. I was a great 
believer in body blows. The solar plexus was 



42 MIKE DONOVAN 

known then as the belly. A good old-fashioned 
name for it. Now, since education is more general 
and we are all more or less on the high-brow or- 
der as compared with fifty years ago, we call things 
like the belly punch a blow to the solar plexus. It 
is nothing new. Only the name is new. 

''Well, I couldn't hit this tough rascal to hurt 
him, and he got at me and gave me a good licking. 
He was a foreman in a big office, a German- Amer- 
ican. By golly ! I cried like a baby I was so disap- 
pointed. The gang stood around and laughed ; they 
were glad to see me get it. I guess I had been 
chesty with all my recent victories and it was a 
good thing for me. But my! how the gang did 
kid me! 

"I met that fellow years afterwards in Chicago, 
and we put on the gloves again, but he was so 
easy I didn't have the heart to hit him. You see, 
I had kept up my boxing and he had dropped it. 

"Patrick Kendrick was the only man that ever 
gave me a boxing lesson. He and I were great 
friends. His was a generous and kindly nature. 
He had a number of fine sons. Two of them are 
Christian Brother teachers. 

"Well, Pat gave me lessons, and how I did en- 
joy them. He would say to me: 'Mike, I'll make 
you best all these fellows.' 

"I would go down to his house nights, especially 
moonlight nights, and there in the back yard, we 
would box and I would learn by the hour. 



FIRST FIGHTS 43 

"I tell you, you can't learn anything worth while 
in this world except by hard work. But when you 
are learning anything you like to do, hard work is 
a pleasure, and so it was with me in boxing. I took 
to it naturally and I loved it. 

"When I started with Pat Kendrick, I used to 
box, or rather fight, with my right hand and right 
foot forward. He got me out of that habit and 
made me hit with my left hand as well as I could 
with my right. 

'^On Saturday nights there would be a show, and 
I was always on hand. Pretty soon I commenced 
to best them all, and as they saw a chance to make 
money out of me, I was a big favorite with the 
gang. They were a tough gang, too, I can tell you. 
My, but they were a bad lot! 

"As I think of those days it frightens me to 
realize what I could have easily become. You know 
your surroundings affect you and, by golly ! to think 
a young boy can turn out a fairly decent citizen 
after mixing up with the toughest men imaginable 
makes you wonder. 

"I thought because they used to dress up and 
wear duck pants that they were grand fellows, but 
they were the worst characters imaginable. Well, 
I was in the hands of this gang, and they matched 
me against a fellow named Billy Crowley. 

"The fight took place in June. I remember well 
getting into the carriage in which I was driven to 
the fighting grounds. My, how chesty I felt! 



44 MIKE DONOVAN 

There was a large crowd waiting for me, about a 
thousand people, and I tell you I felt big. I had 
no fear about the outcome of the fight. I knew 
I could lick Crowley, all right. 

"I was going to fight for glory. Not a penny 
was in it for me^ — somewhat different from the 
fights they pull off nowadays. 

"The fight took place about four miles from St. 
Louis. The ring was pitched and we started in. 
All fights at that time, you know, were with the 
bare knuckles. Crowley was a very clever boxer. 
He knew many tricks of the ring that I didn't know. 
When I made it too hot for him he would go down, 
and I couldn't understand a fellow dropping to 
avoid punishment, so I would reach down and pick 
him up and punch him, but I was warned it was a 
foul. I didn't know what a foul was. I thought 
it was a cowardly thing to drop down without be- 
ing hit, so I kept on picking him up and thrashing 
him, till at last they gave the fight to Crowley on a 
foul. Oh, my, how I cried! I couldn't see but 
what I had fought fair and square, and that he was 
the fellow who had fought foul. So I lost the 
fight, and the gang lost money and felt sore, but 
they saw I could fight, so they stuck to me. 

"I remember in this first real fight of mine I 
would persist in putting my right foot forward so 
I could use my right hand better, and Pat Ken- 
drick, who was in my comer, would say: ^Left 
foot forward, Mike,' and I would shift around and 



FIRST FIGHTS 45 

that would puzzle Crowley quite a bit. Pat was a 
great fellow. 

"Billy Crowley later on in life became a rich 
man. He discovered some process to improve steel, 
and, although an ignorant man, became wealthy 
on the royalty they paid him. He could not stand 
prosperity, and drank himself to death in Pitts- 
burgh. He was a nice fellow. I gave him money 
one time to go from St. Louis to Cincinnati. 

"After this fight I studied up the rules of the 
ring and made up my mind I wouldn't lose fights 
on any more fouls. It is hard enough to lose fights 
by being licked, let alone losing them when, if you 
know the rules, you can easily win. 

"About a month after that I heard of a fellow 
named Mike Conroy, who was an Englishman from 
Birmingham, coming to St. Louis and bragging 
around town that he could lick my brother Jerry. 
This fellow Conroy came from a family of English 
fighters. I afterwards fought one of his brothers. 

"Well, Jerry had married and retired fom the 
ring. So I hunted this fellow up, intending to make 
him fight or shut up. I found out where he was 
and one day strolled up to the place called 'The 
Clipper.' It was a saloon. I walked into the bar- 
room and there he was sitting over in the corner. 
I walked up to him and said : 'Do you know where 
I can find Conroy?' I had fight written all over 
me, and it rather took him by surprise. 



46 MIKE DONOVAN 

"'Why, yes, kid,' says he; Tm Conroy. Who 
the hell are you?' 

" I'm Mike Donovan, Jerry Donovan's brother, 
and I've come up here to lick you, you big stiff. 
You can't go around saying you can lick my 
brother Jerry. Why, Jerry could eat you up.' 

" 'Say, not so fast there, kid. If you are not 
careful, I will take you over my knee and spank 
you. Blime me, if I won't,' said Conroy. 

'Well, that was enough for me, I was for going 
at him right then and there, but the crowd saw a 
good thing and held me back. It was arranged we 
meet in three days. 

" 'I'll lick you good, you big Englishman,' was 
my parting challenge. 

" 'Say, sonny,' said Conroy, 'don't bring your 
nurse with you,' and they all laughed. 
'You'll need the nurse,' said I. 

Well, when we got through with that fight we 
both needed nurses. It was an awful punishing 
fight. 

"During the three days we had to wait, some 
friend of Jerry's notified him in Chicago that his 
kid brother was matched in a prize-fight against a 
noted English pugilist. Jerry came on the jump 
to St. Louis. 

" 'I hear you are going to fight, my boy,' were 
the words Jerry greeted me with. 

" 'Yes,' said I, and I felt very proud to take my 
big brother's place. 






FIRST FIGHTS 47 

" 'No, kid/ said Jerry, ^you can't fight ; I won't 
let you.' 

" 'Yes, Jerry, I'm going to fight, and nobody can 
stop me.' 

" 'Take a walk with me,' said Jerry. We walked 
through the streets talking over the matter, when 
we came to the Station House. I thought Jerry 
was going in to see his friend Larry Horrigan, so 
in I went with him. Larry has since died. He was 
Chief of Police of St. Louis. 

"Jerry asked Larry to lock me up, explaining 
that I v/anted to fight. 

"Larry told him he couldn't do it, and on learn- 
ing from me that I would fight as soon as Jerry 
returned to Chicago, advised Jerry to let me have 
my way. 

" 'Let him get a taste of it,' said Larry. 'You 
can't stop him from fighting. Let him see if he 
can stand it.' 

"Jerry concluded to let me fight. So the battle 
came oflf the next day, and I tell you it was a bat- 
tle. It was a tough fight, but I had been used to 
seeing men killed all around me in the war, and a 
few bruises more or less did not bother me. 

"It was a very hot day, and the place where the 
ring was pitched was in sort of a hollow in the 
woods. The men formed a big crowd around the 
ring and kept off the air. Although this was tough 
on me, it was a greater strain for the Englishman, 
as he was older and wasn't used to such heat. 



48 MIKE DONOVAN 

"I knew this, and it helped give me confidence. 
Little things like that help a good deal when you 
are thinking hard. 

"Instinctively I did not like Englishmen, and 
they did not like me. Time has helped me, and 
since then I have met many good Englishmen. 

"Well, when I faced Conroy in the ring, I felt 
confident I could lick him. I did not want to shake 
hands, but Jerry, who was in my corner, made me. 

"Conroy knew a trick of the bare-knuckle game 
that I had never learned. He kept pecking with 
his left at my eyes, with the intention of closing 
them. I didn't know you could close a man's eyes 
so he positively couldn't see by continually hitting 
him on the eyes. 

"So when Conroy kept jabbing me in the face 
with his left, I would take the blows and would 
wallop back as hard as ever I could. He had a 
great left hand, and he reached me often. But I 
shook him up with my hard smashes, and every 
time I landed, he would go down. This was an- 
other London prize ring trick. He could then get 
a short rest. Yankee Sullivan was a great fellow 
for that style of fighting, but he fought big men 
and had to do something like that. His opponents 
would often have to hold him up and punch him. 
You know, you could do that under the London 
prize ring rules, and also wrestling was allowed. 
But I didn't know at that time much about the fine 
points of the game, so Conroy would fall down as 



FIRST FIGHTS 49 

often as he pleased (after pecking at me) and 
would be carried to his corner by his seconds. I 
couldn't understand how a man, if he wanted to 
fight and wasn't afraid, could permit himself to 
fall down to avoid punishment. 

"Seeing Conroy drop to avoid my blows made 
me despise him all the more, and I went at him 
with the determination to hurt him so that when 
he went down he would have to stay down. 

"But this continual jabbing, jabbing, jabbing, 
reaching my eyes with every blow, was commenc- 
ing to have the effect Conroy was striving for. 

"Suddenly there was a cry of Tolice!' and, my, 
how that crowd did scatter ! I got away, but didn't 
have a thing on me above the waist. I lost Jerry in 
the excitement, and Conroy ran in a different di- 
rection. 

"I took to the fields, and with me was a good 
friend of mine and Jerry's — Billy Murray, a big 
giant of a fellow ; he loved both of us and we loved 
him. Billy gave me his duster and as we ran across 
country we came to a beautiful stream of clean 
water. By golly ! that seemed the finest sight I had 
ever seen; Down on my knees I went, and was 
just about to take a good drink when Billy grabbed 
me and threw me away. 

"Well, as much as I loved Billy I couldn't be de- 
prived of that water. 

You let me drink or I'll fight you,' I told him. 



ti (■ 



50 MIKE DONOVAN 

" *No, Mike ; it's bad for you. Wait, you may 
have to fight some more/ 

^'They had an idea in those days that a man 
shouldn't drink any water when fighting. I knew 
it would do me good, and as Billy saw it was either 
let me drink or fight, he gave in. 

"Oh, my, how I did enjoy that drink! It did 
me a world of good. I felt refreshed and was 
eager to get at Conroy again. So Billy and I hus- 
tled over the fields to try and find where the crowd 
was.'' 



CHAPTER IV 



ROUGHING IT 



Si i' 



*'When I had satisfied my thirst at the stream, 
we crossed over on the stones, and I remember get- 
ting my feet wet. About half a mile further on we 
came to a crossroad, and there was Conroy with a 
big crowd of men. He thought I would never 
show up again, and he was bragging. 
That fellow won't show up to-day.' 
Won't I? Well, here I am, and we'll fight it 
out right here.' 

"He had no right to think I was afraid of him. 
I never went down and showed the white feather 
the way he did. 

"Our seconds thinking it more prudent, we went 
about a mile further along where the police couldn't 
find us. 

"We did not pitch the ring this time, but a big 
one was formed by the people. 

"We stripped and went to it. I always brought 
the fight to him. He would wait for me and keep 
jabbing me with his left. It stung me and hurt, 
but my idea was to hit hard, and I paid no atten- 
tion to his stabs. 

51 




52 MIKE DONOVAN 

''All at once it commenced to dawn on me tha! 
he was trying to blind me. But then it was too late. || 
My eyes were so swollen they commenced to close. 
I would come close and, grabbing him, I would hold 
him up and punish him, but down he would go, and 
several times I wanted to kick him. 

"To win a fight by blinding a man and to save 
yourself from punishment by falling was some- 
thing I couldn't understand. I didn't think it was 
fair or manly. Conroy had fought lots of times 
in England, and knew all the tricks of the game. 

"The fight continued this way for about an hour 
and three quarters, and I became as blind as a bat. 

"Jerry began to cry and begged me to quit. They 
wanted to throw up the sponge, but I wouldn't 
have it. I knew I was a better man than that Eng- 
lishman, and that if I could only see I could lick 
him. 

" 'Lead me to the middle of the ring, Jerry, and 
I will hold one eye open with my hand and punch 
him with the other hand. Til lick him yet' 

"I thought if I could only land a good blow in 
his stomach I could finish him. 

"So, holding my right eye open with my left 
hand, I was led to the middle of the ring, and as 
Conroy advanced I jumped at him and with all my 
strength I hit him a terrific blow in the stomach. 
Down he went and I fell over him. 

"That was the end of that round. Our seconds 
carried us to our corners. 




Mike and His Son Arthur 



ROUGHING IT 53 

" 'Lead me only once more, Jerry. That's all I 
ask. Give me another show. I mustn't lose the 
fight. I can lick him.' 

"Just as time was called up went the sponge from 
Conroy's comer. 

"For many years that time was the nearest I ever 
came to loving an Englishman. My, how happy 
I was! 

"Conroy was knocked unconscious. He re- 
mained that way for nearly an hour. What with 
my blow and the heat of the day, the poor fellow 
was nearly done for. He got a kind of a spasm 
and I thought he was going to die. But after a 
while he came around all right. 

"Those fights, held under the London Prize Ring 
rules, were brutal affairs. I wouldn't go to see one 
now. You couldn't hire me to. 

"Well, after that hard fight I was a happy fel- 
low. They bundled me into a carriage, and with 
the crowd following we started back for St. Louis. 

"I was happy, but the only thing that worried me 
was my eyesight. I thought I might never see 
again. I was totally blind for three days. At last 
my eyes commenced to clear; that is, the swelling 
went down and I felt much better. 

"They gave me two hundred and fifty dollars for 
that fight. When Jerry handed it to me I felt 
pretty big, but would not touch the money be- 
cause I wanted Jerry to take it. I had seventy-five 
dollars in the bank and was earning good wages. 



54 MIKE DONOVAN 

Jerry was recently married, and I told him he 
needed it and I didn't, so I made him take it. 

"I was living with an old lady by the name of 
Mrs. Curtain. She nursed me like a son. I never 
could forget her. 

"Well, when my face got in shape, I went out 
and, my, how important I felt ! Down on the levee 
they gave me an ovation. Everybody wanted to 
shake hands with me. I tell you, I was some 
pumpkins. 

"It took me two months to recover thoroughly 
from the fight. A bare-knuckle fight is not like 
the glove contests they have now. It would take a 
man three or four months as a rule to regain his 
health and get back to his right condition. The 
blows of the bare fists cut and bruised the body so 
severely that it took a long time to come around. 
The knuckles were often broken and the hands 
greatly disabled. It was brutal business, and I am 
happy to see bare-knuckle fights done away with. 

"The boxing contests as conducted now are sel- 
dom brutal. It is a rough sport, but no rougher 
than wrestling or football. No, not as rough as 
either of them. A man can receive greater punish- 
ment at either of these sports than he can at box- 
ing. Referees are instructed to stop an unequal 
contest at boxing, and frequently stop bouts before 
they become brutal. But in the old London Prize 
Ring days the sport was most brutal. 

"The Marquis of Queensberry was the man that 



I 



ROUGHING IT 55 

changed the whole nature of boxing. I believe if 
boxing had always been conducted under the pres- 
ent rules it would never have got into bad odor. 
But the reputation it inherited from the London 
Prize Ring gave it the bad name. 

"In a short time I returned to work, but as 
caulking on ships was slow, I got a job as driver of 
an express wagon. One day, as I was crossing a 
ferry with my wagon, a deck hand spoke to me 
very roughly, and I resented it. He then called me 
a bad name, which to me always meant fight or 
apologize. I remonstrated with the man, who was 
a big, tall, strapping fellow of at least six feet, and 
must have weighed close to two hundred pounds. 
My speaking quietly to him only caused him to 
swear at me harder than ever. Jumping off my 
wagon, I walked up to this big chap. He laughed 
at my nerve and made a wild lunge for me. Slip- 
ping his blow, I stepped in close and struck him 
with my right full in the stomach. By golly ! what 
a grunt he gave; he doubled up, and when he could 
straighten himself up, he looked at me curiously, 
and seeing me standing there as calm as a June 
day, he couldn't understand it. So, thinking it was 
only a lucky punch I had landed, he came at me like 
a wild bull. I sidestepped his rush, and uppercut- 
ting with my left, I straightened him up, and land- 
ing again with the right in the stomach, he went 
down on the deck and stayed there for awhile. 

"When we reached the shore, he got a policeman 



56 MIKE DONOVAN 

and had me arrested. I was taken before my old - 
friend Larry Horrigan. I 

"When he heard the complaint, he said to me: 
'So you are here for licking that big man. You 
ought to be ashamed of yourself. Next time you 
take a fellow of your own size.' 

"The complaint was made, so he had to hold me 
for court in the morning, but he let me go off with 
my team and baggage on my promise to appear on 
time. That night a fellow by the name of Looney 
went to see the judge, and in the morning I was 
discharged. 

"My existence that winter was a tough one. I 
was working amongst a lot of pretty hard charac- 
ters. They had been army teamsters and they were 
a scrapping bunch. But they weren't any tougher 
than I was; that is, as far as fighting went. One 
of the biggest of the gang tried to lick me one day. 
He kept annoying me until I couldn't stand it any 
longer. I would not take insults. I'd fight, no mat- 
ter how big a man was, if he goaded me too much. 

"This fellow, who had formerly been an army 
teamster and was now driving one of the state 
wagons, seemed to be looking to pick a fight with 
me. I guess he thought he would get a cheap rep- 
utation. I was much smaller than he, but was 
known as a prize fighter, and he probably thought 
that, if he licked me, he would be known as a dan- 
gerous fighter also. He looked upon me as an easy 



I 



ROUGHING IT 57 

mark. I could tell by the confident way he went 
about it. 

"We had it out in a grain car. I was decidedly 
at a disadvantage because the floor was so slippery 
I could not do any footwork, and my opponent was 
so much larger he could hold his stand. I remem- 
ber, as I stripped for the fight, thinking that if he 
knew anything about fighting I would have a hard 
time of it. But, my! the big duffer didn't know 
anything. I smashed him and banged him at will, 
and when I landed a good stiff right on what is 
known as the solar plexus, he went down and said 
he had enough. It was easy. The other teamsters, 
hearing of the licking I gave him, didn't bother me 
after that 

"You know, that solar plexus blow is a great one. 
When Bob Fitzsimmons was going around the 
country offering any man fifty dollars if he could 
stay four rounds with him, I was at the old Park 
Theater in New York one night when he hit a 
fellow on the jaw in the first round, and the man, 
turning completely around, fell unconscious on his 
face, breaking his nose. If that man had fallen 
backwards and struck his head on those hard boards 
it would undoubtedly have broken his skull. 

"I told Bob afterwards that he would kill some 
man that way, and that he ought to hit a man in the 
stomach when he wanted to disable him. He would 
go down just the same and stay there, only he would 
sink down and not fall over backwards, running 



58 MIKE DONOVAN 

the risk of getting concussion of the brain. Bob lis- 
tened, but did not perfect the blow until after an 
unfortunate occurrence in Syracuse in which Con 
Riordan met his death. Then Bob realized how 
dangerous it was to hit a man on the jaw. It 
wasn't the blow on the jaw that did the damage but 
the way a man fell. 

"Fitzsimmons studied this blow very carefully 
after his sad experience in Syracuse, and became 
very expert. He licked many a big fellow with it. 
He won the championship from Corbett with the 
same blow. It helped him a lot in his fights against 
big men. You know he was only a middleweight. 

'^Doctor Girdner, after the Fitzsimmons-Corbett 
fight, gave it the scientific name of the Solar Plexus 
blow. But it was the same old stomach punch with 
which I had licked many a man. 

"In the spring I went back to caulking, and I 
found myself amongst a different lot of men. They 
treated me right, and did not try to bully me. We 
got along well together and I had many friends 
among them. 

"I was boarding and leading a very quiet life, 
going from the house to my work and returning 
home again at the end of the day perfectly happy 
and contented, but it was not long before it got 
around who I was and that Jerry Donovan was my 
brother. Jerry had a big reputation as a fighting 
man and also enemies, and I also found I was get- 
ting my share of enemies too. It seems the broth- 



ROUGHING IT 59 

ers of that Englishman from Birmingham named 
Conroy that I licked in my second prize fight were 
at Memphis, and when I arrived there in my wan- 
dering they heard I was in their neighborhood and 
they planned not only to lick me but to kill me. 

'They would surely have killed me if it had not 
been for a certain man named Roberts, who lived 
near the river and who knew Jerry. Jerry and he 
had a rough-and-tumble fight three years before, and 
Jerry had licked him, but this man was Irish and 
had borne no grudge. You know, an Irishman 
feels closer to you if he has had a fight with you. 
Some of the Irish really must have a fight before 
they can entirely warm up to a man. 

"Plans were all made by the Conroy brothers to 
get me down in their district and do me. In those 
days doing one meant killing. A man by the name 
of Brochlocker, who was one of the noted gam- 
blers in town, heard of the plot to kill me, and 
hunted me up in the shipyard and gave me warning. 
He told me he knew Jerry and always liked him, and 
that he didn't want to see any harm come to me, so 
he told me to be careful. 

" I'm not afraid. Nobody is going to go at me 
without giving me a show for my life, and I can 
lick any damned coward that tries to hurt me.' 

'^ *Yes,' said Brochlocker, 'if they give you a 
chance, you can lick them, all right, but these cow- 
ards won't give you a chance. The gang will sur- 
round you and kill you. So be careful' 



6o MIKE DONOVAN 

"I couldn't believe any man would deliberately 
plan to kill any one, so I thanked Brochlocker for 
his kindness and dismissed the thing from my 
mind/' 



CHAPTER V 

MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 

"The Conroy brothers were a bad lot. I had 
never met their kind up to that time. It didn't oc- 
cur to me that there could be men so cruel and 
cowardly as to deliberately set on a fellow to kill 
him and not even give him a fighting chance. 

"Everybody carried a pistol or a knife in those 
days, but I really did not care for one, as I felt I 
could take care of myself, and the idea of carrying 
a weapon did not suit me. 

"I had been warned not to go out at night, but 
I was young and fearless. I did not know enough 
of the world to be cautious. So, one evening, I 
strolled down to the levee, and dropped into a sa- 
loon kept by a man named Roberts. 

"I was quietly talking with Roberts at the bar 
when a number of men came in, and I heard them 
say : There he is. We've got him now.' 

"Every one of them drew a gun. I stood there 
looking at the whole dirty crowd, not thinking for 
a moment they intended to shoot; but Roberts evi- 
dently knew them, for, jumping on the bar, he 
grabbed two big pistols from a holster on the wall, 

6i 






62 MIKE DONOVAN 

and, pointing them at the gang, he swore he would 
kill the first man that shot at 'that boy,' as he called 
me. 

"That was a mighty brave thing to do. He took 
his life in his hands and he saved mine. 

ril fight,' I said, *if you'll give me a chance.' 
They wanted to take me to Winter's place on 
Main Street, but I told them I wouldn't go there 
but would fight any one of them up at the Danbury 
Engine House. They wanted me to walk with 
them, but Roberts made them go on ahead and we 
followed after. He knew the gang he had to deal 
with. I had never met such cowards before. 

"The gang stopped at a saloon kept by Connolly 
before we came to the Engine House, and we fool- 
ishly followed. 

"Brochlocker, hearing I was in the saloon with 
the Conroy gang, hunted me up, and, sizing up the 
temper of the crowd, insisted that I should not fight. 

" 'Look here, boys,' said Brochlocker, 'this isn't 
fair. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll put up a hun- 
dred dollars and make good five hundred to-mor- 
row that Mike can lick any one in your gang.' 

"Brochlocker was, as I said before, a prominent 
gambler of Memphis, and had lots of money. He 
meant what he said. 

"Well, one word led to another, and as the beg- 
gar was an Englishman and I Irish, that settled it. 
So Jim Conroy and I started at each other. I 
thought it was going to be a fair and square fight, 



1 



MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 63 

but we hadn't been at it but a few minutes when 
he threw me down and commenced to bite me. I 
tried to get up, but he was stronger and heavier. 
I have the marks of his buck teeth on my forehead. 
Finally I got my foot near the edge of the stove 
and, shoving hard, I turned him over. As I was on 
top, his brother kicked me in the side. 

" 'I got you, I got you !' I hollered. 

"Then I got kicked. Here McGuire, an Irish- 
man, one of their crowd, stepped in and said : 'He's 
a square fellow and he's going to get a show. The 
first fellow that touches him is going to get killed.' 

'^Conroy was much bigger and stronger, and as 
we got on our feet, I grabbed him around the neck 
and, holding his head in chancery, commenced to 
punish him. Some one tripped me and we both fell. 
Conroy struck his head and hollered 'Enough!' 

"Just then the police burst in and arrested us. 

"They made us wash aff in a trough in the sta- 
tion house. The places where he had bitten me and 
gouged me smarted so that I got mad, thinking of 
the cowardly manner in which he had fought, and 
I went at him again, but the coppers pulled us 
apart. 

" 'Look where the dirty coward has bitten me !' I 
shouted. 

"In bringing us to the station house they treated 
him very roughly, but they didn't even hold me. 

"They locked us up, but we were bailed out and 
appeared in court in the morning. The Judge fined 



64 MIKE DONOVAN 

me twenty-five dollars, but he fined Conroy fifty. 
Connolly, the saloonkeeper, paid my fine, which I 
later returned. 

"I was pretty sore after that scrap, as they had 
nearly done me up. My friend Connolly told me 
that I had better look out, for some night they 
would get me, sure, unless I was very careful. 

" 'You're the kind of fellow,' said Connolly, 'that 
will get killed. You don't fight like those fellows. 
They are sneaks and cowards.' 

"You bet I learned my lesson for the future and 
was more careful. 

Hf. Hfi if, Hf. iHi ili -^ 

'*I want to tell here, while it occurs to me, of the 
time that I met Abraham Lincoln. I was in Chi- 
cago at the time, and it was in the fall of the year 
i860 when Mr. Lincoln was speaking in his cam- 
paign against Douglas. He came down the street, 
followed by a large crowd. He was leading a 
small boy by the hand, who was Tad, his son. 

'T can just see that great tall man : high hat, big 
black stock, the sleeve of his coat open, sauntering 
down the street, bowing to every one and shaking 
hands with those that were near — careless in dress 
and free in his manner. I wanted to shake hands 
with him, too, so I crowded up, and as I approached 
him, he leaned over and, extending his hand, asked 
me my name. 

" 'Michael Donovan,' repeated Mr. Lincoln. 



MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 65 

That's a good name, and you are a fine boy. Here, 
Tad, shake hands with Michael Donovan.' 

"Tad was not as fair and easy as his father. I 
looked Tad over and I remember the thought oc- 
curring to me: 'I can lick you.' I was about thir- 
teen and Tad was about twelve. 

*'Mr. Lincoln won me at once, and you bet he 
would have got my vote. 

'The people followed him into a picture gallery. 
I went in, and there I saw him pointing out the 
pictures of interest to Tad — especially the battle of 
Waterloo, and also one of Sebastopol. Finally, 
leaving the gallery, he walked down the street to 
the post office, and I went home. 

"That night he spoke from the balcony of the 
Tremont House. I was there, and how he did 
make fun of Douglas! The people were all with 
him. This was his last speech before election day, 
and he felt that he must spread himself, and he did. 

"This great tall man, with his fine, homely face, 
taking the crowd into his confidence just as if he 
were talking to a friend, won them all. Never 
saying a mean or small thing or showing any an- 
noyance or bad feeling against Douglas, he had the 
people all laughing at his jokes and the wise way of 
putting things. 'Old Abe' had them going, all right. 
He was a wonderful man. 

"I'm glad to tell that story about Lincoln just at 
this time, because I get tired of talking about my- 
self. It doesn't seem right to say too much about 



66 MIKE DONOVAN 

myself. People might think I was chesty, and I 
wouldn't blame them/' 

:)( ^ :(( ^ :)( 4c 4^ 

If any one that reads this narrative knew good 
old Mike as I knew him they would never become 
tired of hearing his experiences. His simplicity, his 
honesty, his lack of self-praise was very evident 
and was so attractive. 

With regard to being *'chesty," as he expressed 
it, of that no one could accuse him. With manner 
straightforward, and entirely unaffected, he met and 
conversed with men of prominence in the social, 
financial and political world as easily and naturally 
as with those of the humblest walks in life. 

This is always an infallible sign of whether one 
has too high an opinion of one's self, or, in other 
words, has the swelled head. Mike Donovan was 
gracious to all men regardless of position. Nat- 
urally, as was proper, he held a just estimate of his 
ability, and the meaning of his victories over his 
trials and temptations. 

He had many friends of prominence who made 
much of him. Yet his head was never turned. He 
was not *^stuck on himself." 

One day he called for me at noontime, wishing 
to have me meet Colonel Roosevelt. 

The front room of the offices of The Outlook 
was filled with men waiting to see the Colonel. He 
was in a corner talking with Lincoln Steffens. As 
soon as he saw Mike Donovan he came forward, 



MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 67 

and with a "Hello, Mike!" accompanied with a 
punch on the shoulder, he grasped the Professor 
by the hand and made much of him. He told sev- 
eral anecdotes regarding his experiences with Mike. 

"One night," said the Colonel, "I was speaking 
at a meeting on the West Side, and the ward leader 
was sitting on the stage near me. I had a few 
plain truths to tell him, and I didn't spare him. 
Shaking my finger in his face, I made him see him- 
self as others saw him. For awhile it looked like 
a fight between him and me. But he passed it up, 
and I went on with my speech. I could see Mike, 
who was on the stage that night, ready to spring 
in and fight at the first sign of trouble. Hey, Mike, 
isn't that a fact?" 

"Yes, Colonel. I thought you were up against 
it that night, and I was going to help one of my 
old pupils at any cost." 

"Right you are, Mike," said the Colonel, "and 
you're the boy who can do it." 

"You can take care of a few yourself, Colonel," 
replied Mike. 

After some more pleasant words, we left. If I 
had received a reception like that from an ex-Pres- 
ident of the United States, and a man of such 
world-wide reputation, I would have been spoiled 
for converse with other mortals for many a day. 
Mike never batted an eyelash. He was the same 
simple, plain, unaffected, dear old fellow. 

^ ^ Mli ^ :¥ 4^ ^ 



68 MIKE DONOVAN 

"I want to tell you about a fellow I got even with 
after I returned from the war/' continued Mike, 
in his narrative. "Stanton was his name. He was 
four years older than I was, and was big and heavy 
' — a regular heavyweight. 

"Stanton was a cowardly bully. Before I went 
to the war he jumped on me for something, Fve 
forgotten what, and, knocking me down, kicked me 
tmmerci fully. 

"Oh, how I did lick him on my return ! I hunted 
him up. 

"'Isn't your name Stanton?' 

" 'Yes.' 

" 'You are just the fellow I've been looking for 
for years,' said I, and I jumped at him and slugged 
him all over the lot. 

"Jerry, my brother, happened to be there, and, 
grabbing me, started to lick me. I told him what 
Stanton had done to me, and Jerry then wanted to 
lick Stanton. But he'd had enough. 

"I got more satisfaction out of that fight than 
any one I remember. 

"One day during this time I was wearing Jerry's 
frock coat and high hat. On a Fourth of July a 
chap named McEnerny met me on the street and 
accused me of jumping on his brother with some 
other fellows at the lumber yard and licking his 
brother. I didn't do it, and told him that, if I 
wanted to fight his brother, I would fight him fair; 



MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 69 

but he insisted I did, and told me he was going to 
Hck me. 

'*I couldn't stand for that, so off came the coat 
and hat, and we went at it on the sidewalk. 

*Tt was a fair fight, but McEnerny wasn't in it. 
I saw Jerry coming and I dusted. Grabbing the 
coat and hat, I ran to the house. 

"Jerry followed me and made me come back and 
fight it out. But, when we returned, poor Mc- 
Enerny had had enough and wouldn't fight. Jerry 
felt sore about my wearing his coat and hat, but he 
forgave me, as I had made McEnerny quit. 

^^ ^^ 1 ^C ^^ ^ff ^i^ ^^ 

"There is one incident I have forgotten to tell 
you. It was the treatment I received from my 
brother-in-law Lefever when I was a lad of thir- 
teen or fourteen. Things like that help change 
one's nature. They bring out the savage instincts 
in the man. 

"Lefever was a decent enough chap except when 
in a temper, and then he was terrible. Being a very 
hard worker himself, he could not understand how 
anybody could do anything else but work. As for a 
lively boy, he didn't understand him at all. 

"We had just killed a beef, and it being the cus- 
tom to give the neighbors a roast or a steak, I was 
sent around with these in a basket. I had been 
walking miles and was tired. At one place I found 
some boys playing handball against the bam. That 






70 MIKE DONOVAN 

settled it. I was in that game in a jiffy and forgot 
all about my errands. 

There comes Lefever, Mike!' cried some one. 
'Away I scooted across lots, but he hollered to 
me. So when we were near the house I came up to 
him and started to explain, but there were no ex- 
planations for him. He licked me so hard he broke 
two big sticks over my body. He was trying to 
make me yell but I wouldn't. 

^^I told him that when I got to be a big man I 
would fix him. He beat harder. He licked me 
until I thought I would drop dead. I was bleeding 
freely, and every bone in my body seemed broken. 

'*My sister came to me, and, picking me up, 
brought me into the house. Four or five days I lay 
in bed very sick. Lefever was scared. He saw he 
had gone too far. He promised me a fiddle when 
I got well. 

"Did I get the fiddle? I did not. 

"A neighbor by the name of Putnam told Le- 
fever : 

If that boy dies, we're going to hang you.' 
I can see Lefever now. He had a way of show- 
ing his teeth when in a rage, and he didn't make 
a pretty picture. 

"I got well, and time passed as usual. Lefever 
kept me at work so continually I had no time for 
play. Other boys could play, but I couldn't. All 
boys should have some play, otherwise you can't 
tell what they will do. 






MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 71 

''Lefever was building a house for a man named 
Adams and I had to work with him. I remember 
planing the floors. My, what a job! It seemed as 
if I never would finish. He was a glutton for work 
and never let up on it. 

*^I knocked off for awhile one day, and when 
playing with some boys near the bam, a fellow 
named Ross and I got into a fight. He was a big 
fellow, about one hundred and eighty pounds. He 
had bloodied my nose, and, having knocked me 
down, was sitting on me. He saw Lefever coming 
in the distance, and, jumping up, told me to beat it. 

"I got over to the woodpile as quickly as I could, 
and was industriously chopping wood. 

''Lefever leaned on the fence eyeing me. My 
nose was bleeding and I had a guilty look. 

"Lefever vaulted the fence, and stooping down to 
get a stick to beat me with, he was in a dangerous 
position, for, remembering the terrible beating he 
had once given me, I started for him with the ax. 

"Although I was in a rage, the look that came 
over Lefever's face stopped me. He was white 
with fear. He saw I was to be beaten no longer. 

" Til kill you if you don't drop that stick.' 

"Fortunately for both of us, he dropped the stick 
and walked away. 

"I left that day. Years after the war he asked 
me to forgive him. I did, but I told him I never 
could like him. He has since died. 

3|c sic :K He 9|e 9K H: 



72 ^ MIKE DONOVAN 



4 



"What I have just told cleans up pretty well all 
my experiences before the war. 

**After my St. Louis fights I got in with such a 
tough gang that I saw it was no place for a decent 
fellow that wanted to be on the level. They would 
pull oflf all sorts of crooked stunts. So I quit them 
and came on to Philadelphia. 

"The heavyweight champion of the country, Ned 
O'Baldwin, lived in a big house on Second Street. 
I introduced myself, and he was friendly right 
away. He also knew Jerry and liked him. 

"O'Baldwin invited me to make my home with 
him. He was a big-hearted man, and we became 
great friends. I only stayed at his house a few 
days, as I thought it best to get a boarding place. 

"Ned was very nice to me. It seems Jerry had 
shown him favors when in Chicago, and he took 
good care of me. He got me in a fine boarding 
house kept by Mr. and Mrs. Carrol. 

"Mrs. Carrol was a good motherly woman and 
a regular matchmaker. 

"It was at this house that I met my wife. I re- 
member the first time I saw her. It was after 
supper. Miss Butler and Mrs. Carrol were great 
friends. She used to call at the house quite often. 

"When she came into the room I thought she was 
the sweetest girl I had ever seen — so pretty, such 
expressive eyes and rosy cheeks ! It was a case of 
love at first sight. She was the first and only girl 
I ever cared for. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Carrol 



MEETING LINCOLN AND ROOSEVELT 73 

I would never have had the nerve to pay her any 
attention. Mrs. Carrol Hked me, and I guess she 
made up her mind that I was the man for her 
friend. 

" 'Mr. Donovan/ she would say, 'you and Ce- 
cilia would make a good pair.' 

'Oh, you're joking me!' I would reply. 
'Mrs. Carrol would say to Celia — my wife told 
me afterwards : 

*' 'Celia, sure and he will be the finest man in the 
world for you.' 

"That didn't do my cause any harm, as my wife 
felt that Mrs. Carrol was a good judge of the male 
character. And so Mrs. Carrol was a blessing to 



if 



me. 

6i 



When Miss Butler came to see me in jail, after 
I was caught fighting Jimmy Murray for the cham- 
pionship, I felt mighty encouraged. It convinced 
me that I had at least made an impression. 

"All the people in her neighborhood, when they 
heard about her visiting me, talked about it. 

" 'She's been down to see the prize fighter. What 
do you think of that?' 

"The old gossips had a great time. When I came 
out and got well I used to call, and many a time I 
was on the point of asking her, when I would lose 
my nerve. She was a refined and educated girl, 
and I couldn't see how she could care for a skate 
like me. 

"I tri^d to be mj nicest^ and always had my best 



74 MIKE DONOVAN 

manners. I thought it over, and did my best to 
get up my courage, but I simply couldn't. 

*^I was a coward. I wrote her a letter. I 
couldn't face the music. The letter ended this 
way : 'I 1 you. I will call Monday.' 

^When I called she was ready to receive me. It 
was a hard task. I told her I was not working, but 
she only smiled and said : 'You'll have to see my 
mother.' I never knew what love was until I met 
Mrs. Donovan, and, by golly! the way it gripped 
me I couldn't get away from it. 

"We got married July 2, 1874 — and a happier 
married life no human being could ask for. Never 
a word between us. She was so patient and 
loving !" 



CHAPTER VI 

A MATCH WITH JIMMY MURRAY 

"I PROMISED to tell you of the most remarkable 
fighter and athlete this country ever produced, and 
also my fight with Jimmy Murray at Point Erie. 

^'Before telling of Ned O'Baldwin, the greatest 
fighter and athlete I ever knew, I will go back to 
the time when I left St. Louis. 

^^I came on to New York before going to Phila- 
delphia. 

"I made my headquarters at Harry Hill's in East 
Houston Street. Every Wednesday afternoon it 
was my custom to meet all comers. 

"Many a man I knocked out there. They give 
others the credit of being the first to knock out a 
man with the gloves, but it isn't so. I used to 
knock out my opponents with a right-hand blow to 
the jaw, the same as is done in the ring at the 
present time. 

"To knock a man out with a blow on the jaw 
doesn't injure the man at the time or leave any bad 
effects. There is only one dangerous feature in 
connection with this blow, and that is the liability 
of the head striking the ground too hard. Of 

75 



ye MIKE DONOVAN 

course the harder the ground the more danger at- 
tached. It is better to stop an opponent with a 
blow in the stomach, for then he is incapacitated 
for only a short time. But I was young and 
thoughtless at this time, and only wanted to dis- 
pose of my opponent by the shortest method. 

'Teddy Leary, Bryan, Haubren, and many 
others were defeated at Harry Hill's. I licked 
Frank McNeil in Geoghan's Hall on First Avenue 
and Twenty-Fifth Street. 

"Oh, I got in with a tough lot of sports those 
days in New York ! 

"I remember a certain famous fighter in that dis- 
trict named 'But' Reilly. He was considered the 
middleweight champion around New York. He 
was a tough artist He seldom entered the ring, 
but street and barroom fights were his long suit. 
When I was licking all comers at Harry Hill's 
Reilly got jealous, as he saw his reputation as a 
fighter going. 

"He said I was nothing but a show fighter, and 
that the next time he caught me on the street he 
was going to lick me. 

"They couldn't induce him to put on the gloves 
with me, but he made up his mind to meet me on 
the street. Reilly was a great rough-and-tumble 
fighter, and he knew he had a better show with me 
at that game. 

"We met one evening at the corner of Broadway 
and Houston Street. By golly, it was a great scrap ! 



A MATCH WITH JIMMY MURRAY 77 

"I was leaning up against an iron railing, loafing 
the time away, when up comes Reilly, and before 
I realized what he was going to do, he nearly threw 
me over the railing. Those dirty cowards don't 
care what they do to you, so long as they stop you. 

"I was able to save myself, and then we had it 
out in the street. We were fighting for some time. 
Reilly found that I wasn't a stranger to the rough- 
and-tumble style, and also found me as strong as 
he was. 

^The police came and we got away. Later that 
evening we met in Mike Coburn's saloon, and there 
we finished it. 

*1 remember having a big tie around my neck — 
sort of a scarf. I wanted to be flashy. Reilly 
grabbed that tie and commenced choking me. He 
was up to any dirty trick, so I threw him, and, I tell 
you, I gave him all the dirty rough-and-tumble work 
he wanted. I licked him well. 

"That kind of a fighter is a mean man to tackle. 
You never know what he is going to do to you. 

'*I got sick of the gang I traveled with in New 
York, and, knowing that Ned O'Baldwin was in 
Philadelphia, I went there. 

''After a short time I succeeded in getting a 
match for the middleweight championship with 
Jimmy Murray, who then held that title. 

"Murray was a wonderful athlete. He could do 
many things. He could put the shot, and he could 
also jump backwards further than any man I ever 



78 MIKE DONOVAN 

saw. He could jump backwards ten feet without 
weights in his hands. He could jump on a bar in 
a saloon backwards, and jump over a bar front- 
wards without touching his hands to it. 

"I have a painting of him that I would not take 
a thousand dollars for. 

"As soon as Jimmy Murray and I were matched, 
Ned O' Baldwin and I started around the country 
giving boxing exhibitions. 

"I did my training on the road with Ned. As I 
remarked before, he was the most wonderful ath- 
lete and fighter I have ever seen. He stood six feet 
six inches in his stockinged feet, weighed two hun- 
dred and ten pounds stripped, and was as fast on 
his feet as a lightweight. I got my idea of foot- 
work from him. He had a large head, high fore- 
head and beautiful black wavy hair. 

"Harry Hicken and I would put on the gloves in 
a room in the hotel, and we would both go for 
O'Baldwin. Ned would back up into a comer, and 
I'll be blamed if we could hit him. He would stand 
us both of¥, and they were no gentle taps we were 
giving, but without hitting hard, he would half hit 
and half shove us off. 

" 'Come on, boys, drive me out of this corner,' 
he would say. But we couldn't do it. I really be- 
lieve he could have licked three good men at one 
time. It seemed to be the easiest thing in the world 
for him to hit two men. He'd hit you anywhere 
and you'd fall over. He was a big-boned fellow 



A MATCH WITH JIMMY MURRAY 79 

like Fitzsimmons, but much larger. He was al- 
ways in condition. 

"I have seen him hit men on the top of the head, 
and they were either knocked insensible or would 
quit from fear. He did not realize how hard he 
hit. 

"Ned and I fell out. He would drink, and when 
under the influence he was half insane. Liquor 
never did any man any good. No one is quite 
himself if he has only one drink in him, let alone 
more than he can carry, and Ned would get simply 
crazy. He got in a fight with another drunken 
man one night, and the fellow lost his eye. O' Bald- 
win was sent up for two years. 

"I had an opportunity to help him when he was 
in prison. The doctor of the prison was a pupil of 
mine, and he was able to get O'Baldwin out of soli- 
tary confinement where it was putting him out of 
condition. He would have been in bad shape. Poor 
fellow, he got killed two years later! A man in 
New York shot him. Ned got in bad ways. When 
he was sober, and in his right senses, he was good- 
hearted, and a jollier companion you could not 
wish for. Full of Irish jokes and stories. Could 
sing or dance a breakdown. He was a great enter- 
tainer. He wouldn't have to have a monologue 
written for him. He could go on the stage and en- 
tertain any audience without a moment's prepara- 
tion. 

"After coming out of prison he went to New 



8o MIKE DONOVAN 

York, and there a fellow named Jimmy Nelson, a 
famous rough-and-tumble fighter of the Eighth 
Ward, took him to a man named Finley who had a 
saloon down on West Street. In the basement was 
a junk shop, where he used to smuggle cigars and 
whiskies and make a lot of money. 

"Finley took O'Baldwin into partnership. He put 
his name on the lamp outside the door, as was cus- 
tomary in those days, and everything w^ent along 
in good shape till O'Baldwin got drinking and 
spending his money along Broadway. He took 
about all the money Finley had, and then one day, 
calmly told him he was going to quit him. 

"It seems that an old friend from London named 
Cassidy wanted O'Baldwin to start a roadhouse 
with him somewhere on Jerome Avenue. 

"Finley had heard rumors of this plan, and the 
night O'Baldwin told him, he merely said: 

" ^Going to leave me after all the stock is gone? 
I think that's an ungrateful thing to do.' 

" What do I care?' said Ned. This answer cost 
him his life. 

"Finley was livid with anger. Then take that.' 
He shot him in the stomach. 

"O'Baldwin grabbed him around the neck, and 
tried to get the gun away. Jimmy Nelson was ly- 
ing on a couch in the room. He separated them 
and assisted Ned to the couch. He said : 'J™^y> 
I am gone ; I am going to die. Oh, isn't it hard to 



A MATCH WITH JIMMY MURRAY 81 

die — I am only thirty-three years old! Send for a 
priest/ 

"The rights of the church were administered 
and he died three days later. 

"At last the day I was to fight Jimmy Murray 
for the middleweight championship arrived. We 
fought London Prize Ring rules, bare knuckles. It 
was a brutal fight. It was a chilly morning in May, 
1873. We had no luxuries such as the modern 
boxer indulges in now : comfortable rooms in 
which to be rubbed down, resting all day and fight- 
ing in the afternoon or evening in a well-appointed 
clubhouse with gloves to protect our hands and take 
the cut out of our opponent's knuckles. 

"No^ sirree ! We were up very early in the 
morning so the police would not get after us, and 
we had no rubdown to warm us up after a restless 
night. Few men, if any, can sleep the night before 
a fight because of the nervous tension. You get 
your sleep about nine or ten o'clock in the morning 
after a nervous night of tossing. 

"The fight took place at Point Erie, a short dis- 
tance from Philadelphia. 

"We didn't pitch a ring, for fear of the police. 
The crowd of sports that had assembled from va- 
rious directions formed the ring by grasping fin- 
gers with arms folded across the chest. 

"I found Murray the hardest-fisted man I ever 
fought. His blows hurt me, and the scars you can 
see on my face and forehead now. My lips were 



82 MIKE DONOVAN 

all cut up and my nose was broken. I was awfully 
punished — blind as a bat for three days afterwards. 

''The ring as formed by the crowd broke up 
after a while, but we fought in about a twenty-four- 
foot space. 

''Barney McMullen was referee. Patty Ryan of 
Philadelphia and Pete King seconded me. Johnny 
Clark and one other, I have forgotten his name, 
seconded Murray. 

"Murray weighed about one hundred and fifty- 
six pounds and I weighed about one hundred and 
forty-eight. He was eight pounds heavier than I 
and he was stronger, but I had the endurance. 
When the fight broke up at the arrival of the police 
I was as strong and confident as at the beginning. 
I had youth on my side. 

"We were both good long-range fighters, and 
during the first part of the fight, we confined our 
attack to outfighting, but as the fight went on we 
warmed up to it and did considerable infighting. 
Jimmy was as good an infighter as I. 

"One thing, I believe, helped me in this fight. I 
never could stand anything tight about my legs. 
I asked Mrs. Carol, my good friend, the boarding 
house keeper, what I could do about getting rid of 
the elastics around my stockings, and she fixed it 
by sewing buttons on them and making buttonholes 
in my breeches so I had no trouble about the circu- 
lation of blood in my legs. That has licked many 
a man. 



(t <■ 
(( <• 



A MATCH WITH JIMMY MURRAY 83 

"At the commencement of the forty- fourth round 
somebody yelled Tolice !' I dusted for the tall tim- 
ber. Some jumped in boats, others ran across 
country; the crowd scattered in all directions. 

'1 hid in the woods. As I lay there I could hear 
them say: 'He is around here somewhere.' 

"Finally a big Dutchman found me, and he said : 
^Here he is,' and he grabbed me. 
^Don't yank me like that' I was sore; and Ser- 
geant Moore, whom I met many times afterward, 
said : Xet go of that man ! He will go along with 
us.' 

"I walked along quietly, and before I got across 
the river I was as blind as a bat. 

"When we arrived at the station house, there 
was Jimmy Murray. They had caught him too. 
We were committed to Moyamensing, and were 
there four days. 

"The jailer — I think his name was Dailey — had 
known me before, and he said when he saw me: 
'You're a picture!' 

"I said, 'Yes, I suppose so, but I will have to take 
your word for it. I can't see.' 

"Murray and I were being led to a cell when the 
Headkeeper said : 'Don't put those two men in the 
same cell.' 

"I remarked: 'Why not? We're not bad 
friends. We had all the fight we wanted this morn- 
ing.' So they put us together, and we were there 
for four days. 



84 MIKE DONOVAN 

''Murray took care of me as a mother would 
have taken care of a sick child. I had caught cold 
in my eyes and I was helpless. Jimmy would sit 
by the hour and bathe my eyes with water with a 
handkerchief he had obtained from the jailer. 

'1 was dying to get a look at him. On the 
fourth day I stretched the lid of one of my eyes so 
I could just peak out, and I closely scanned his 
face. There I saw lumps standing out all over his 
face. He had a harder face than I, and yet, during 
the fight, I couldn't notice that my blows had any 
effect. It seems that the swelling came afterwards. 

''Well, I fell back and laughed heartily, happy 
as a lord. 

" 'What are you laughing at, you swine ?' he said. 

" 'Jimmy, Tm satisfied,' I replied. 'I did some 
handiwork, anyway. I thought I had not punished 
you at all.' 

" 'Well,' he said, 'is that what you have been 
thinking about the last three days I have been car- 
ing for you ?' 

"Murray and I were the best of friends ever 
after. 

"Murray retired after this fight, taking a posi- 
tion in the Boxing and Fencing Club of Philadel- 
phia." 



CHAPTER VII 



MAKING A REPUTATION 



"A Californian named Jim Farrell wired me 
that they had matched me as an unknown for $5000 
against Harry Maynard, who had just arrived from 
Austraha. 

''That looked good to me, and away I went. 
When I arrived they took me to Gilroy Springs so 
that I would be out of the way, and the Maynard 
backers would be kept in ignorance. 

"It finally leaked out through some men, who 
knew me, seeing me at the Springs. They knew I 
was in California to fight, as that was my way of 
making a living. 

''As soon as Jack Staples found out it was Mike 
Donovan who was the unknown the match was off, 
for Ernie Staples, Jack's brother, had written him 
from New York that if ever a man by the name of 
Mike Donovan came out to the coast to be sure and 
put your money on him, as he was a fighter. 

"The $5,000 was to be put up by Jack Staples 
and his friends. Arrangements had not been com- 
pleted, and they had a perfect right to withdraw. 
So I was left. 

85 



86 MIKE DONOVAN 

"I hadn't any money, so I made arrangements to 
appear in a theater with Maynard. I received $250 
a week and Maynard $100. We had good hard 
set-tos, but I was eight pounds heavier than May- 
nard, and of course could best him easily. 

"Maynard was a very decent fellow, and we got 
along well together. We always drew a big crowd. 

"It occurred to me that we could form a com- 
bination and tour the country. We got together a 
troupe of sketch artists, clog dancers, song and 
dance artists, negro sketch artists — a regular vaude- 
ville show. It was a mighty good show, and we 
made out well, and traveled in California and ad- 
joining States. 

"Before going on the road with Maynard I heard 
that Dwyer was coming to California to fight a 
fellow by the name of Smith. I wrote him and 
told him he could lick Smith easily, and to be sure 
to come. Dwyer suspected that I was the man they 
were going to put up against him, and he only came 
as far as St. Louis when he returned East. Smith 
was the man they intended to match against him at 
the first, but they got me to box him one night, and 
he was so easy that the promoters of the fight asked 
me to meet Dwyer, and they dropped Smith. 

"Smith was as strong as a bull but didn't have 
any skill. He was called 'Big-Neck' Smith, and 
was known as the toughest rough-and-tumble fight- 
er on the Pacific Coast. We met in Sacramento. 
The first round I walked up to him and punched 



MAKING A REPUTATION 87 

him in the belly with my left hand and on the nose 
with my right, and he went to his corner. He 
seemed scared. He came up for another round, and 
I did the same thing and, by golly, he left the ring. 
I told the backers he was no man to fight Dwyer. 
So that was how they came to substitute me. 

*'As soon as I knew I was to meet Dwyer I went 
on the road with Maynard, giving our show. 

"When we reached Virginia City, Nevada, a lo- 
cal scrapper by the name of Ben Williams was in- 
duced to meet me, but he happened to see me lick 
a friend of his named Costello in one round, and he 
wouldn't fight me. 

"Costello had come up on the stage at my invita- 
tion to meet any man in the house, and he got 
trimmed so quickly that Williams would not fight 
me. 

"I went to see him in a place kept by a Cornish 
friend of his, and I heard this Cornishman saying 
to Williams: 'Ben, thee art afraid of him?' Of 
course Ben was afraid of me. I could have licked 
him in a punch. I didn't like men that posed on 
cheap reputations, and Williams was a poser, but 
he got called that time. He lost his nerve when he 
heard Costello holler after he had got punched on 
the nose. I could hit very hard with the left hand, 
and I let go a straight left on Costello's nose, and 
that was all he cared for. My work as a caulker 
had given me a very strong forearm, both left and 
right. 



88 MIKE DONOVAN 

"The Donovan-Maynard combination returned 
to San Francisco, and I hung around Frisco to see 
whether I could pick anything up in the way of a 
match. 

''There was a fellow in town named Frank 
Crockett. He was heavyweight amateur champion 
of the Pacific Coast, and he used to work in the 
same gymnasium with me. I always took good care 
of myself — working in the gym, out on the road 
walking and running, smoking only two cigars a 
day, careful of my eating. I was ready to fight on 
two days' notice. 

'T used to walk out to the Cliff House, six miles, 
eat my lunch and walk leisurely back. I paid espe- 
cial attention to my legs. Every other day I would 
go to the gymnasium. 

''Well, this fellow Crockett would come over to 
me and ask me to box. 

" 'No,' I said, 'you're an amateur, and I don't 
want to go at you hard, and if I don't, you'll get it 
into your head that you can best me, and that won't 
do my reputation any good. There is no money in 
boxing you, and what I want is money. That's the 
way I make my living. You wouldn't want me to 
go into your business and injure your reputation, 
and I don't want you to hurt mine.' 

"He talked me into sparring with him, and it 
turned out just as I thought it would. He got it 
into his head that he could best me, and didn't hesi- 
tate to brag of it. 



MAKING A REPUTATION 89 

"My bout with him was an easy one. I prin- 
cipally feinted and did footwork. He got tied in a 
knot, and could only hit from the elbow. He 
weighed 196 pounds and stood 5 feet 11 inches. 

"At last he took off his gloves, and I asked him 
whatever made him think he was a fighter. He 
didn't like that, and I didn't care for him. He was 
a fresh sort of fellow, and that was the last time 
we boxed in the gymnasium together. 

"When I heard that he had been boasting around 
I sent word to him that I would fight him any time, 
anywhere and under any conditions he wished. 

"Well, we met and it was easy. He got licked 
in five minutes of actual fighting. He caught a 
right-hand swing just above the left eye which cut 
him, and he quit in the second round. 

"Later when John L. Sullivan came out to the 
coast, Crockett told him that I had butted him. 
Sullivan and I were not very good friends at that 
time, but he couldn't stand for that. He saw 
Crockett was trying to square himself, and he didn't 
like it. 

"In his deep bass voice Sullivan said : 'Donovan 
wouldn't have to butt you to lick you. He can hit 
hard. He gave me a tough go in Boston.' 

"When I left California, Jack Staples gave me a 
gold-headed cane and a number of other presents. 
He was a good friend of mine and a fine fellow — a 
gentleman and a sportsman. Many times he took 
me to his club to dinner. At this time I was pre- 



90 MIKE DONOVAN 

sented with the belt for being the middleweight 
champion of the country. I was ready to fight any 
middleweight in the world. 

*'I returned from California, but only got as far 
as Chicago when I was stopped by a notice that 
McClellan had arrived in San Francisco and was 
looking for me. 

^*A man came through the train asking for Mike 
Donovan. The brakeman pointed me out. 

^^ 'I am a representative of the Clipper,' he said. 
'I have just received a telegram from San Fran- 
cisco to meet you and get you to return for a fight 
with McClellan.' 

" *I expected/ I said, ^to meet McClellan in Chi- 
cago. If he has gone to San Francisco, Til return; 
but my expenses must be paid and the purse must 
be fifteen hundred dollars with a bonus of five 
hundred.' 

"They agreed to everything. I notified them I 
would be back in California in about three weeks. 
I sent for my wife and we spent two happy weeks 
in Chicago. 

''My, how patient she always was with me! I 
was quick, and at times nervous, but she always 
managed me beautifully. I wanted her to come to 
San Francisco with me. If she had, I believe I 
would have been a rich man. I had some good 
friends among the nicest and wealthiest men of the 
town, and I know they would have given me op- 
portunities for making money. 



MAKING A REPUTATION 91 

"Many men out there became immensely wealthy 
who were not a bit better educated or better so- 
cially than I was. 

*'My friendship with Ernie Staples in the East 
gave me a warm friend in his brother Jack, who 
was a member of the San Francisco Stock Ex- 
change. Both of the Staples are dead. Jack had 
money and was a fine fellow — democratic and a 
staunch friend. 

"My wife wouldn't go to California with me, as 
her mother was old and sick, and she wouldn't 
leave her. 

"When I parted from my wife and babies I was 
pretty well broken up. She kept worrying about 
my getting hurt and wanted me to quit the fighting 
game. I told her not to worry. It was my way of 
making a Hving,^ and I would get over the injuries 
very soon, that if I didn't fight I would have to be 
a caulker. 

" 'You know,' I would say to her, 'any one can 
be a caulker, but it isn't every one that can fight. 
I think I'm the best fighter in the country, and if I 
am I ought to make money at it for you and the 
babies.' 

"Well, that helped some, but she was very down- 
hearted, and it made me feel awfully bad. I wired 
her from Cheyenne and at various stopping places 
on my way to Frisco. She answered with encour- 
aging telegrams, and I commenced to feel better. 

"On my arrival in San Francisco the arrange- 



92 MIKE DONOVAN 

merits for my meeting McClellan were completed. 
It was 1879, in August. 

"The sporting elements in California at that 
time were a tricky crowd. They would job you, or 
what is now called "frame" you, as quick as a wink. 
They didn't care what they did to prevent you get- 
ting their money. Even a state senator, who pre- 
tended to be a great friend of mine, threw me down. 

"We could not agree on a referee. McClellan 
wanted Tom Chandler, but I wouldn't have him. 

"We decided on Bill Barnes, a noted gambler 
of good reputation for fairness. I thought he could 
not afford to do me wrong. 

"I wanted to fight Queensberry rules, but Mc- 
Clellan insisted on London Prize Ring. He knew 
I could lick him at Queensberry rules but felt he 
had the better of me at the old game on account of 
his strength and weight. I was not so strong or 
heavy. 

"It was agreed to fight London Prize Ring rules 
with four inches of loam in the ring. Although 
they told me several times it would be all right 
when we came to fight there was no loam. We 
fought on the hard boards of the stage in Piatt's 
Hall. 

"Every time McClellan threw me he hurt me. I 
would have licked him in short order if it had not 
been for the wrestling and being thrown on the 
hard boards. 

"I started right after him as soon as time was 



MAKING A REPUTATION 93 

called. I dropped him in his corner three times 
within three minutes. Each time he went down 
meant half a minute's rest. At the end of the third 
round he was out over half a minute, but all the 
sports had money on Mac, so I was out of it. He 
could have stayed down for half an hour and I 
wouldn't have got the decision. 

''At the commencement of the fourth round I 
made a left lead, and McClellan, ducking, caught 
my left leg with his left hand, raised me up on 
his shoulder and threw me far and hard. Oh, my, 
how that hurt! The pain was so great that all 
seemed black. I was carried to my corner. I 
couldn't use my right hand. Couldn't lift the arm 
at all. It was dislocated at the shoulder. That was 
not known till afterwards. 

'Toeing the scratch for the fifth round, I carried 
my right hand in front of me with my thumb stuck 
in my belt. To get extra force in my left-hand 
blow I used for the first time in my life — and as I 
never heard of the blow before, probably the first 
time it was ever used in the ring — what is known 
now as the 'shift.' With my left arm extended, I 
suddenly jumped forward with my right foot first 
and, twisting my body, caught McClellan on the 
jaw with my left, knocking him down and practi- 
cally out, putting him through the ropes. He was 
carried to his corner, and it was over three min- 
utes before he came to the scratch. 

"Time wasn't called and I didn't protest, for I 



94 MIKE DONOVAN 

knew it would do no good. I saw that they had 
jobbed me, and for me to win I had almost to kill 
him. 

"We fought on and on — it seemed an eternity. 
Four hours and five minutes — ninety-three rounds. 
He threw me fifty-three times, and how it did hurt! 
My poor shoulder was jumping with the pain. 

"McClellan became so weak on his legs in the 
last rounds that all I did was to approach him, and, 
jabbing him, down he would go. 

" Xook out, Mac,' I would say, Tm going to 
knock you down again.' I would hit him a half 
punch and half shove, and down he would go. 

"The referee saw where he would lose the thou- 
sand dollars he had on McClellan, so he called the 
match a draw. 

"I wanted to lick the referee, but what was the 
use? They were all against me. Even Billie Ed- 
wards and Arthur Chambers knew I was being 
jobbed. 

"They were to second me, but refused. Joe 
Winrow trained and seconded me. 

"Arthur Chambers, at the ringside during the 
fight, made slurring remarks. He and Billie Ed- 
wards seconded McClellan. 

"Bill Barnes, the 'high-toned' gambler, came near 
killing me the next day. I found him standing on 
a corner and went up to him. 

" 'If I didn't have this arm in a sling I'd lick 
you. Your dirty work cheated me out of the fight 



MAKING A REPUTATION 95 

last night. You saved your thousand dollars, any- 
way.' 

"Barnes swore at me and reached for his gun. 

" 'You big coward. You daren't shoot. You're 
a big stiff of a gambler.' 

'*A fellow named Keyes standing by his side 
grabbed Barnes' hand or I would not be here tell- 
ing you this tale. I was reckless those days. I 
wouldn't want to take the chances now I used to 
take. 

"I wanted more money. Cotton, who put up the 
purse, wanted to beat us out of it. They were a 
fine lot — the sporting men of California in those 
days. 

"Mr. Scott, the paying teller of the bank, a 
former pupil of mine, told me the check was 
stopped. 

"I went down to see McClellan. I knew he 
wasn't a party to that fraud. 

"As I came into the room, there was Mac on 
his knees with a coat over his head leaning over a 
pail of hot water (steaming his face). 

What are you doing, Mac,' said I — 'praying?' 
'No, you bummer. Look what you did to me.' 

"He raised his face toward me. He couldn't see. 
His eyes were closed tight. 

"We shook hands and had a hearty laugh. 

"After considerable trouble we got our money, 
and I came East again, but not before I had the 
satisfaction of challenging any man in California. 






96 MIKE DONOVAN 

Big or little, Fd fight them. They did not like my 
not barring the heavyweights of California, but I 
felt sore and would have fought any one. I only 
weighed one hundred and fifty-six pounds, but I 
felt I could lick any one in California, whatever 
weight he was. 

"In the fall of 1879 I took Jimmy Elliot with 
me to give a show in Boston. This is the first time 
I met John L. Sullivan. We were stopping at 
Early's Hotel. Early had advertised us in the 
newspapers, and we were receiving calls from all 
the sports in Boston. 

"One day we were sitting in the tap-room as 
usual when a man by the name of James Ryan 
asked me if I would look over a young fellow they 
called the 'Highland Strong Boy.' Ryan evidently 
considered me a good judge of a man, and he 
wanted my opinion. I said : 'Certainly ; bring him 
down.' 

"The next day we were sitting in the tap-room 
when in came Ryan with Sullivan. John L. was 
then about twenty-two years old — a big, husky 
young fellow. He looked like a truck driver. His 
voice was very deep, and with a heavy jaw and a 
piercing gray eye he presented the picture of a 
typical fighting man. He hadn't smoked or drank 
up to that time. He struck me as a good man at 
once. 

"After he had been introduced to me, I said : 



I 



MAKING A REPUTATION 97 



(( o 



They tell me you are a pretty strong young 
fellow/ 

" 'I don't know/ replied Sullivan, in his sub- 
cellar voice; 1 guess Tm pretty strong/ 

^*He certainly looked the part. He seemed to 
have a grudge against Paddy Ryan of Troy. It 
seems that Ryan and Goss had given a show in 
Lawrence, a city near Boston. The bout was pretty 
lively, and Goss had fallen from a blow. Ryan, in 
the excitement of the moment, had hit Goss when 
he was down. Goss wouldn't continue the bout. 
Sullivan jumped up from his seat in the theater 
and offered to finish up with Ryan. Ryan wouldn't 
take him on. 

" 'You go and get a reputation first,' yelled Ryan. 

"This made Sullivan mad, and he wanted to get 
some pointers from me and then go after Ryan. 

" *If you can't lick Ryan,' I told him, 'you can't 
lick anybody.* 

" 'Well, I think I am as strong as anybody,' re- 
plied Sullivan, 'and as game as anybody, too, but 
I would like to get some pointers from you.' 

"There was a small boil on my arm, which I had 
foolishly pricked with a pin, and it was commenc- 
ing to trouble me badly. I was going to take Sul- 
livan to my room and show him a few things, so 
made an appointment with him to come on Mon- 
day. 

"Sunday the boil pained me and swelled quite 
badly. On Monday I was in no condition to put 



98 MIKE DONOVAN 

on the gloves to see how much this husky youth 
knew, so I asked to be excused. 

"I remained in Early's place for two weeks till 
my arm got well. Then Elliot and I went to Provi- 
dence for a week's engagement. We then returned 
to New York. My arm troubled me terribly, and 
if I hadn't had the constitution of an ox it would 
have killed me. The pin with which I had pricked 
the boil had given me blood-poisoning. 

"During the time Elliot and I were in Boston 
Sullivan said he would like to box with anybody 
in the show. I asked Elliot to put him on, but he 
refused. Sullivan always remembered this against 
Elliot. 

" 'Maybe/ remarked Sullivan, 'they will all be 
glad to put my name on the bill some day.' 

"He certainly made good in this respect, later 
on in his career, as we all well know. 

"A short time after this Sullivan and Dan Dwyer 
got an engagement to box in a ten-cent museum on 
Washington Street. I had returned to Boston by 
this time, and Elliot and I went to see the bout. It 
was perfectly apparent to me that Sullivan had the 
makings of a good man, and I told Elliot that some 
day we would hear from him. Nobody seemed to 
pay any particular attention to him. 

"George Rook had been matched to fight me for 
the middleweight championship belt which I held. 
He was in England at the time and was on his way 
over to meet me and make arrangements. I re- 



I! 



MAKING A REPUTATION 99 

turned to New York and we met and settled the 
conditions. 

"Rook insisted upon fighting with the bare 
knuckles. He wanted to fight in Canada; that was 
the only convenient place where we could fight with 
bare knuckles, and the stakes to be a thousand dol- 
lars a side. 

*T wanted to use the gloves and have the con- 
test take place in a hall where we could draw a big 
crowd and make money. No, he wouldn't have it. 
He wouldn't fight any way but with bare knuckles. 
He seemed to think I was afraid to fight him with 
bare knuckles, so I let it go at that, and the match 
was foolishly made to go away up to Canada and 
to be fought without gloves. 

'^As soon as the details were arranged, I re- 
turned to the Howard Atheneum to box for two 
weeks at $250 per. This is the time I met Sulli- 
van in the ring. 

"Elliot wouldn't come to Boston this time. At 
our last engagement in Providence we had a rough 
go one evening and he had got the worst of it, so 
he wouldn't come on this time. It was Elliot's 
fault about the Providence affair. He was near- 
sighted and I would continually come in close so 
he could see me and hit me. I didn't try feinting 
or footwork with him. Well, one time when I 
was in close to him, he grabbed me around the neck 
and hit me a terrible wallop with his right hand on 
the left temple. I went down on my knee like a 



100 MIKE DONOVAN 

shot. It was the first time I had ever been hit on 
the temple. It was a tough blow. I got up and 
sailed into Elliott good and plenty. We had it, 
rough-house, all over the stage, and Elliot came 
out second best. He quit, and that's why he 
wouldn't come to Boston. 

"I had a fellow named Tommy Drone who boxed 
with me matinees and evenings. He was a fancy 
boxer, and we gave a good exhibition. Drone was 
a very nice fellow, and we got along well together. 
He didn't try any fresh business, but was on the 
level. 

"It was the custom at that time to wind up on 
Friday nights with some boxer of local reputation, 
who generally got ten dollars for appearing. It 
struck me that Sullivan would be a good man, so I 
asked him, and he seemed glad of the opportunity. 
I told him I would take him on to New York, Feb- 
ruary 25th, 1880, and bring him to the front and 
show him how to train during my training and ex- 
plain all the fine points of the game. 

'^Sullivan saw his opportunity and made up his 
mind to give me a fight. I heard he intended to go 
at me, so when we got in the ring, after time was 
called, I went right at him. I punched him in the 
belly and brought my right over hard, but it didn't 
feaze him. He came at me with his arms going 
like a windmill. It was evident Sullivan was not 
afraid of me, and I surely was not afraid of him. 
At that time I felt I could lick anybody. I con- 



MAKING A REPUTATION loi 

sidered myself as good as Sayers, or Mace, or any 
one. I had that feeling of confidence because I had 
beaten so many big men. 

"The bout hadn't been going more than a min- 
ute when I saw I had my hands full. Here was 
a young fellow 22 years of age with wonderful 
strength and agility; in perfect condition; never 
having smoked nor drank, and with the fighting 
temperament; big and husky, 185 to 190 pounds, 
and I only 154 pounds, and smaller in build. I 
tell you it was a fight. Tired? My, I was never 
so tired in my life. Fortunately for me the pace 
was so fast he was tired too, and mighty tired. 
I had to step very lively and box very fast. 

'Tn the 3rd round I tried to knock him out. 

"I let go with the right hand all my might, 
swinging for his jaw. I missed and caught him on 
the cheek bone; my fist being somewhat sideways, 
I landed the blow in such a manner that I re- 
ceived a bad fracture of the bones of my hand and 
also a dislocation. 

'^At the end of the third round we went to our 
comers and I knew my right hand was gone, and 
that I would have to depend entirely upon my left. 

"At the call of time I bounded to the center 
of the ring (that's as far as I ever got with Sulli- 
van — he would meet me in the center every time) 
and we went at it hammer and tongs again. 
He'll never forget that bout and neither will I. 
He would push me all around the ring. Up 






102 MIKE DONOVAN 

against the stage scenery, and around and around 
we went. I kept jabbing him with my left, and he 
commenced to tire fast. Of course, his skill was 
not equal to mine, neither was his ring experience. 
If he had been through what I had, and had known 
what I had come to know through many hard fights, 
I wouldn't have been in it with him. His weight 
and strength would have been too much for me. 
He stopped before time was called and said to me : 
That will do,' and walked off the stage. 
1 walked over to my comer and asked Drone 
to hand me my belt. My right hand being broken, 
I could not grasp the belt very well, but I threw 
it around my body, holding it with my left hand 
and right elbow. Facing the spectators, I called 
out: 

" 'Well, here I am but I don't see the "Highland 
Strong Boy." ' 

*'I was very mad because I had broken my hand 
on a man of no reputation, and had a match to 
hold the Championship belt against Rook. This 
incident was the cause of much ill-feeling between 
Sullivan and me for a number of years. I have 
related this contest exactly as it occurred. I claim 
no credit, but am only stating facts. 

"I had $250 posted as forfeit to fight Rook and 
here I was with a broken hand. I felt pretty 
badly but tried to make the best of it. 

"A reporter from the Boston Sporting World 
came into Early's bar the next day, and they all 



MAKING A REPUTATION 103 

wanted to know what I thought of Sullivan. I told 
them that I considered him the coming man, as I 
didn't see any one in sight he couldn't lick. Ryan, 
Elliot and Dwyer would have no living chance with 
him, and Mace, Goss and Allen were too old. 

"Dave Blanchard, one of the rich sporting men 
of Boston, seeing my hand was broken, slipped me 
a one hundred dollar bill. It was mighty nice of 
him. In speaking to me of the bout with Sullivan, 
he asked me what I thought of him. 

" 'He gave me an awful fight,' I said, 'and if 
he will take care of himself he is sure to beat them 
all.' 

"Every sporting man in Boston seemed to want 
my opinion of Sullivan. They knew I was a good 
judge of a fighter, and as I had boxed with him, 
they knew I had a line on him. I told the same 
opinion to all — that I considered him the coming 
man. 

"About eleven o'clock Sullivan called on me to 
get the money he earned the night before. I was 
mighty sore about my broken hand, so I imagine 
I was not over cordial with my greeting. 

"As we were walking down to the theater I said 
to Sullivan: 

" 'You know I am matched to fight George Rook 
with the bare knuckles in Canada, and last night 
I broke my hand on you. If I can't fight will you 
take my place if I can get you backed?' 

Yes, I'll be glad to,' said SuUivan with his 



a (• 



I04 MIKE DONOVAN 

gruff voice. And he certainly was glad of the 
opportunity, and he felt that I had a good opinion 
of him. 

"I finished my engagement at the Howard that 
night sparring with one hand. 

^'Thinking my hand would get well before the 
fight with Rook, which was to take place on May 
nth, I went into training. I got Billy Madden 
as trainer and we went to Far Rockaway. One 
day I was walking down the Coney Island Boule- 
vard when I met Joe Goss, who was training to 
fight Paddy Ryan. Goss was in the same training 
camp as Rook, and I didn't want him to tell Rook 
of my broken hand. Goss saw it bandaged up and 
said to me: 

What's the matter with your hand, my boy?' 
'I broke it on a husky young fellow named 
Sullivan in Boston, but don't you tell that fellow 
you are training with.' 

" 'No, my boy,' said Goss, 'you have my best 
wishes, and I hope you will win, but what about 
this chap Sullivan? Will he be good enough card 
for me to wind up with at the show I'm going to 
give in Boston shortly?' 

" 'Say,' said I, 'Boston is crazy about him. 
They think he's a world beater, but you had better 
look out, he'll give you the fight of your life. If 
you take him on, be careful or he'll knock you 
out. You can't lead carelessly for his stomach; 
he will chop you on the back of the neck with his 







The Making of a Man 



MAKING A REPUTATION 105 

right hand and you will go down. So be careful/ 

" T'll take care of him, all right, me boy, never 
fear,' said Goss. 

"Barney Aaron made the arrangements for 
Sullivan to meet Goss. He got the Music Hall in 
Boston, and advertised the bout all over Boston 
and vicinity. 

"They drew a big crowd. I went over to Boston 
to see them box. In the first round Goss made 
the lead for Sullivan's stomach with his left in a 
careless w^ay with his head down, and Sullivan 
landed that chopping blow with his powerful right 
hand on the back of Goss's head, and down went 
Goss badly dazed. They brought him around in 
a few minutes, and they started to spar again. 
Tommy Denny, a prominent sporting man of Bos- 
ton, asked Sullivan to let up on Goss and not knock 
him out again, so Sullivan just tapped and played 
with Goss after that. 

"After the show Goss said to me : ' God bli 
me, 'ow did he 'it me anyway? I thought a tele- 
graph pole had 'it me.' 

" 'I warned you to look out for that blow and 
that was the one he landed on you.' 
It was an awful one,' said Goss. 
1 returned to Far Rockaway the next day, and 
told them all about Sullivan. Ryan didn't like 
the way I spoke, and we nearly had a row about 
it. He walked up and down the bar one day, and 
§ctid he could lick any man on earth, and as I was 






io6 MIKE DONOVAN 

still on the earth, I called him but he decided not to 
take my challenge, and the row passed. I wouldn't 
have cared much if I had broken my other hand 
on Ryan, as my right hand was no good and I was 
feeling very badly about it. 

"After Goss got knocked out by Sullivan, Ryan 
canceled an engagement to give a show in Boston 
winding up with Sullivan. He had paid a hundred 
dollars' forfeit on the hall and wired to cancel the 
date, and he went to Troy and gave an exhibition 
there. 

"On May loth, 1880, I went to Erie, Pennsyl- 
vania, to cross the Lake to Canada to meet Rook 
the next morning at a place where Morrissey de- 
feated Heenan — Long Point. 

"Rook and I weighed in the night before. I 
was feeling bad about the weakened condition 
of my right hand. It was far from strong. I had 
offered Rook's backer $250 if he would allow me 
to wear a light leather brace on my hand but he 
refused. 

"We stripped for weighing. When Rook was 
on the scales I looked at his back. He had trained 
down to 152^ pounds — I was 151^. But Rook 
was a much bigger man than I was, and he looked 
weak at that weight. 

"As soon as I saw him I knew he was too fine, 
and I told my brother Jerry I was all right now. 
I wasn't worried about my right hand. I wouldn't 
peed it. I could licH Roolc with the left. I felt 



MAKING A REPUTATION 107 

bully when I saw how thin he looked, and as he 
got off the scales, I took him by the arm and, 
shoving him around quite vigorously, I said: 
'Rook, you look hungry. What's the matter?' 
He half fell back and mumbled something about 
being strong enough to-morrow. I tell you I was 
happy when I saw Rook's condition. 

"That night, before weighing in, John Donald- 
son and I were sitting in a park under a tree talk- 
ing, when two men, in walking around, passed our 
bench several times, and we heard them as they 
went by. 

" T tell you he's clever. They say he's as fast 
as lightning.' We looked closely and saw it was 
Rook talking to some friend. 

"By golly! it made me feel good to know Rook 
was worrying, and it gave me a line on how to go at 
him in the morning. There is a great nervous 
strain just before a fight. Every one feels it, and 
to find Rook worrying, eased me greatly. Jimmy 
Wakely had met me and tipped me off on several 
things, so I felt much encouraged, notwithstanding 
I had practically lost the use of my right hand. 

"The next day we went down to the wharf, and 
as we were standing around Rook walked on to the 
dock with half a chicken in one hand and a big 
piece of bread in the other. He was eating it 
ravenously. The sight of a man loading up his 
stomach two hours before a fight made me laugh. 
I told some of my friends I would make him giv^ 



io8 MIKE DONOVAN 

back that chicken before he had been fighting long. 

''Johnny Staunton, a friend of Jerry's and mine, 
gave us his tug boat in which to cross the lake. 
The Rook party had hired a big tug and took quite 
a crowd. 

''At eleven o'clock we arrived at Long Point, 
and the Rook party started ashore to pitch the 
ring. Several men walked up to them and asked 
what they were going to do. 

" 'We're going to have a fight here, old man, 
and we hope you'll like it' 

" 'Not here, my boy,' came back the reply. 'You 
can't hold any fights in Canada.' 
Who are you?' 

I'm the sheriff, and this is my posse, and if 
we are not enough, that boat out there is full of 
soldiers, and they will train their grape and can- 
nister on you and blow you all to pieces.' 

"That was right. There the soldiers were; we 
hadn't noticed them before. We quit, and went 
leisurely down the coast, but everywhere we went 
those soldiers followed, so we turned for Buflfalo. 

"Barney Aaron said that, as we couldn't fight, 
they were going to claim the stakes. Jerry and I 
thought that was a good joke; it almost made us 
laugh." 






CHAPTER VIII 

AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 

"When we heard they would not allow us to 
fight, we returned to Buffalo. The next morning 
the Rook party came on from Erie, arid we met at 
a certain sporting rendezvous again to decide 
where we were to pull off the fight. In the mean- 
time, the chief of police of Buffalo, Billy Wolfe, 
hearing that we had met and were considering to 
fight at Buffalo, sent for Jerry. They had been 
ship-caulkers together and were old friends. The 
chief told Jerry that if the fight were pulled off 
in Buffalo, he would send every man that he caught 
to the work-house for six months. 

" 'I don't like to do it, but I am chief of police 
in Buffalo, and it's my duty. So, Jerry, I warn 
you, and I want you to tell all your friends that 
I mean business.' 

" ^Billy,' replied Jerry, Ve will not attempt it. 
We will go back to New York. Anyway, these 
other fellows are only making a bluff. We are 
certain that Rook does not want to fight. We 
think he is afraid of Mike.' 

"I told Rook we could have a glove fight in New 

109 



no MIKE DONOVAN 

York if he would accept my challenge, but he was 
by no means anxious. 

" 'If you think you can defeat me with the fists 
you ought to be able to best me with the gloves/ 
I remarked to him. 

"But he made no effort to clinch the match. 

"I forgot to tell about the difficult time I had 
in getting Rook on the scales to weigh in accord- 
ing to agreement. The signed articles of agree- 
ment called for 154 pounds at nine o'clock on the 
night before the fight. 

" 'Rook's weight/ said Billy Boist, his backer, 
'is all right.' 

"Billy and I were friendly, but as they had not 
given me permission to wear a small leather brace 
on my hand, I decided to make Rook get on the 
scales. 

"Rook was trying to get out of it, and made 
some remarks I did not fancy. I spoke to him 
sharply, and one word leading to another, we both 
became quite excited. Throwing off my coat, I 
offered to fight him then and there. I felt in m^ 
heart that Rook was not anxious to fight me and 
it made me mad. Billy Boist jumped in between 
us, so nothing happened. Rook had to strip and 
weigh in. 

"After all our trouble, we were unable to pull 
off the fight. So we all started for New York 
City. Jerry and I were very anxious to get to the 
city first, as some of the newspaper men who were 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN iii 

following us had been sending false reports to the 
city papers, and we wanted to tell the correct story 
to Mr. John Scanlon, who was the stake-holder. 

'* Jerry and I arrived at Mr. Scanlon' s hotel the 
next morning in time for breakfast. I refused 
his invitation to eat with him, as I said I was 
anxious to get home and eat breakfast with my 
wife and babies. I knew they were eagerly await- 
ing my return, and I was just as eager to see them. 

^'I told Mr. Scanlon the whole story just as it oc- 
curred, relating how we did our best to pull off 
the fight on the Canadian shore, and how the sol- 
diers following us in a boat prevented us. He was 
satisfied, and expressed surprise that the papers had 
reported such false news. I felt that the reporters 
were not giving us the square deal, and I told Mr. 
Scanlon that I had done my best to stop the lies 
coming to New York, but I seemed unable to pre- 
vent it. I even grabbed one of the reporters whom 
I knew was writing against me, and, taking him by 
the coat collar, I forced him into a telegraph office 
and made him send a correct version of the fight 
while I waited with him. I didn't succeed even 
then, for as soon as I left him, he rounded on me 
and countermanded the telegram, wiring that he 
was forced to send it or take a licking from me, 
which was the first and only truth he had related 
about the whole proceeding. His name was Billy 
Harding. He was with the other side, and treated 
me in a shabby and deceitful manner. 



112 MIKE DONOVAN 

^1 returned to my wife and babies all right, and 
as the hot weather was coming on, we went to the 
country, and I rested for the summer. 

"In the early fall I met Ed McGlinchy in 
Bridgeport, Conn. I bested him in four rounds. 
I met him again in Turner Hall, New York City; 
I beat him in three rounds that time. He was a 
noted amateur middleweight. He became a pro- 
fessional to box me. 

'In the winter of '8i I met Rook at the Terrace 
Garden. He weighed 185 pounds. I was foolish 
to concede so much weight. I weighed 154 
pounds, but I felt that I could best him, as I knew 
that I had the Indian sign on him. So we met 
before a large crowd, and with but very little diffi- 
culty, I bested him in three rounds. He was not 
satisfied, and we met again in Madison Square 
Garden a month later. He gave me $100 to meet 
him at his benefit, and I stopped him in two rounds. 
I dropped him to his knees. He deliberately got 
up and walked out of the ring and went to his 
dressing room. I was the winner. I went to the 
dressing room, and he was talking in an incoherent 
way. I had hit him on the jaw and it affected his 
brain. ' 1 ' 

"I said: 'Hello, what's the matter with you? J 
did you again,' and we came near having it out 
once more in the dressing room. He was only 
a bluff anyway. 

"I had an opportunity to box with Sullivan in 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 113 

Boston at the Music Hall. I was mighty glad to 
get this chance because I wanted another go with 
him. When I arrived in Boston I found that 
Sullivan was weighing over 200 pounds and I 
weighed 154 pounds. He had grown fleshier since 
I first met him. He was then 185, but I knew 
that he must be slower, and I felt that I could keep 
out of his way and give him all he wanted. He 
came at me like a wild bull, but he was so slow 
that he could hardly get out of his own way, let 
alone mine. I stood almost toe to toe with him 
at times because I thought it would be safer to 
keep close to him, as there were no stakes around 
the stage and I had to keep away from the end of 
the stage or he would have thrown me into the 
audience. I stayed in the middle of the ring and 
ducked most of his blows. 

"He said to me when we were boxing: ^I am 
better now than I was last year.' 

I told him : *You're not as good.' 

'He'd swing at me and miss by a mile. His left 
hand didn't amount to much. I told him : 'You 
might as well cut that left paw of yours off. 
That's the joker I am looking after' (pointing 
toward his right hand). And over she'd come 
and under I'd go. I ducked under him every time. 
He never hit me a clean blow in the whole bout. 
He tried to hit me, chopping and swinging. This 
fight took place on the 22nd of March, 1881. The 
Boston Globe of that day gives me credit for hav- 






114 MIKE DONOVAN 

ing bested him. I thought once I had a chance to 
put him out, and I swung on his jaw and just 
grazed him. I fell in an awkward manner and my 
leg gave way. I'd have broken my leg if I had not 
been a very quick stepper. I rolled over and 
straightened my leg. I was getting up slowly, 
when he jumped in and uppercut me. I ducked, 
and he just grazed my head. I jumped up and 
was right at him. I was mad all the way through. 
He was more tired than I was, and I commenced 
to mix it up with him, giving him hit for hit. A 
policeman jumped in and stopped the bout. I went 
to my dressing room. Well, I heard hissing, and 
hissing, and I did not know what was the matter, 
and there was Sullivan trying to talk. I was a 
favorite in Boston. 

"I came out to listen while they were hissing. 
They hissed for ten minutes. They would not 
allow him to talk. They guyed him all over the 
place. He came back in the dressing room and 
swore at me. I said : 'You're a big stiff.' I called 
him names, and he made several bluffs at me. I 
told him he could see that I was not afraid of him, 
as I had fought him toe to toe and still he could 
not hit me. 

"I said to him : 'Sullivan, if you hit me, you will 
fool yourself. Come on and let her go.' 

*T knew he could not hit me the first punch 
anyway. He was so big and strong that he 
thought that he could lick anything on earth. If he 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 115 

had been good, with his weight and strength, he 
ought to have been able to lick me easily. He had 
one punch and that was a right-hand swing. The 
Secretary to the Police Commissioner said: 'Sulli- 
van, you have been the means of stopping boxing 
in Boston. When strangers come to Boston, we 
like to treat them right.' And the next day the 
commissioners had a meeting and stopped boxing 
and there was not a show in Boston for three 
years after. 

"Tt was because Sullivan uppercut me when I 
was down on my knees. He afterwards told peo- 
ple that I fell down. 

^When I met him later I asked him why he said 
that about me, and he said that Mat Denning made 
him say it. After the fight that evening I went to 
Patsy Sheppard's place and met some friends, and 
while we were drinking at the bar Sullivan came 
in. There were a lot of students from Harvard 
there, and a large crowd in the place. Sullivan 
said he came in to lick somebody that night. One 
of the students asked me if I had heard what Sulli- 
van said, and I told him I had, and that I was 
ready for him. I stood at the bar and put my 
elbows on the bar. Sullivan, when he saw me, was 
a little ashamed of himself. He did not want to 
make a sudden attack on me, but he came there 
to lick me, and he thought he'd scare me. Duncan 
Ross was there and took hold of him. But Sulli- 
van tore away from him, and then he grabbed a 



ii6 MIKE DONOVAN 

young fellow who was a wrestler, and this fellow 
threw Sullivan on the floor. That woke him up, 
and, in an off-hand sort of way, he said to the 
young wrestler, 'You're a fine young fellow,' which 
was very good-natured of Sullivan. He wa^ an 
impetuous sort of chap, and would change from one 
mood to another very quickly. Well, we broke up 
the party that night without any damage being done 
to anybody. 

"The next morning I went out and took a 
walk and returned at 8 130 to have my breakfast. 
As I walked in, Sullivan stood at the door and said 
to me in a gruff voice: 'Hello!' He was prompted 
to do that by some mutual friends. He must have 
felt ashamed of the treatment he gave me the night 
before. He came over in his gruff way and sup- 
posed that 'Hello!' was a satisfactory apology for 
me. I did not take it in that way, as he did not 
appear to address me in a friendly tone. So I 
passed him without paying any attention to him. 
I went into the dining room and had my breakfast, 
and Dave Blanchard, a very prominent sporting 
man in Boston, came in and suggested that I go 
on the road with Sullivan. I told him I could not 
get along with him. 

" 'Oh, well,' he said, 'you can tone him down, and 
he will listen to you.' 

"He said: 'You come over to Joe Goss's place 
and we'll see him. He is over there.' So after 
breakfast we went over there. There was a big 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 117 

crowd around, a lot of hangers-on. Blanchard 
called the crowd up to have a drink, and said to 
Joe Goss : T brought Mike over to make up with 
John.' Goss did not want Sullivan to leave Bos- 
ton, as he was one of the drawing cards of the 
place, and it made him jealous of me to think that 
I was going to take him away from Boston, so he 
said: *Mr. Blanchard, I cawn't help it any. I 
cawn't do anything.' 

"I said: 'Never mind, Dave, I don't care.' 
*T called everybody up to drink, and while we 
were there at the bar Mr. Blanchard had a talk 
with Sullivan, and Sullivan told him that he went 
over to see me at the hotel in the morning and said 
'Hello!' but I wouldn't speak to him. That was 
the first time I knew^ that he came over in a friendly 
manner. He was such a gruff customer that I 
did not recognize any friendly spirit behind that 
growling voice of his when he said 'Hello!' to me. 
Mr. Blanchard did the best he could to bring us 
together but Sullivan thought that I had treated 
him badly, and I knew mighty well he had treated 
me badly, so we did not come together, and I left 
Boston thoroughly disgusted with the incident. 
Blanchard was a fine type of a Yankee. He was 
a sporting man of Boston, and owned a clubhouse 
there, where men of good standing would come 
and play faro and other games of chance. He 
was a good square fellow, and endeavored to give 
everybody a square deal. 



ii8 MIKE DONOVAN 

"For a number of months after my contest with 
Sullivan in Boston I had boxing engagements in 
the various theaters in New York and Philadelphia. 
I boxed Steve Taylor and Gene McGinty and a 
number of other lesser lights. Steve Taylor was 
the champion of the State of New Jersey. He 
used to box with Sullivan. He was a heavy- 
weight. I got $ioo a week sparring at these vari- 
ous places, and I was able to support my wife and 
family, who were living in Brooklyn very com- 
fortably. A good many of the bouts took place at 
the Palace, 27th St., between 6th & 7th Ave. 

'The money I made at the fighting game was 
earned by strenuous effort, and it was a hard life 
at best. Some Wall Street men who admired my 
boxing very much suggested to me to take some 
pupils. Mr. E. A. Drake particularly advised me 
to go into the teaching game. I started with Mr. 
Drake and Mr. Billy Murray and several others 
whom they got for me in a private house near 
Nassau Street, and there I began to give lessons. 
They were all delighted with my method of teach- 
ing boxing. It was so different from the rest. I 
taught men the scientific use of their hands; the 
other boxing teachers used to teach them how to 
slug and get slugged, and that was about all they 
seemed to be able to convey to their pupils. Some 
men who were jealous of me reported that I, too, 
slugged my pupils, but Mr. Drake went out of his 
way to convince people that I was not a slugger, 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 119 

but that I excelled anybody that he had ever taken 
lessons from. After a while Mr. A. V. DeGoi- 
couria came, and he was a remarkably fine boxer, 
and we had many a good bout with the gloves. 
Mr. Jimmy Gladwin came up one afternoon and 
told me that he had come to box with me to test 
me out and see what my methods were. He said 
that if they were satisfactory to him he knew 
of a number of Wall Street men who wanted to 
take boxing lessons. I knew Mr. Gladwin only 
slightly. I had a nodding acquaintance with him, 
but when he came into my room and was so 
straightforward in his manner I was very pleased 
to give him a sample of my instructions. I told 
him that I knew he was a fighter, but that I would 
have to box with him first to see if I could teach 
him anything. So we stripped and put on the 
gloves, and had a mighty interesting bout. Glad- 
win was a fighter and I had to step lively and punch 
hard. He had a very strong left hand. I would 
not let him land on me. I would often stand in 
close to him and, guarding, I would slip in a few 
body punches. We had several mixups, and it was 
altogether a very satisfactory set-to. He was 
delighted with it and said that he wanted to take 
boxing lessons from me, and would get all his 
friends to come up. So I put him through my 
rudiments of boxing and he was very well pleased 
with my methods. The next day Mr. Nestor 
DeGoicouria and Alfred DeGoicouria came with 



I 



I20 MIKE DONOVAN 

Mr. Gladwin for lessons, and they returned to the 
Stock Exchange next day and said: 'We have 
found a Bonanza/ and that was the beginning of 
my teaching in New York. I had as my first stu- 
dents Herman Oelrichs, Dick Halstead, Al Wheeler, 
Benny Williams, Charlie Coster, George Vander- 
pool, J. M. Emory. In 1883 I niade $2500 in 
giving lessons. I used to charge $25 for 12 les- 
sons and they were glad to pay it. 

"After awhile the fever came on me again to 
box, and I challenged Walter Watson, the man 
that taught Jim Corbett. He weighed 185 pounds, 
a heavyweight man. I never weighed more than 
156 pounds. Before I took on Walter Watson, I 
had a match with Jack Welch in Philadelphia. I 
bested him in five rounds, and c«i the following 
Monday night my boxing contest with Watson at 
Turner Hall on the Bowery took place. ♦ I defeated 
him in seven rounds. Jimmy Mallon, Herman 
Oelrichs and a crowd of my friends were behind 
the stage. We fought with 4-ounce gloves. My 
friends did not want me to box Watson, but I felt 
confident that I could defeat him, although I knew 
that if Watson had defeated me, I would probably 
lose a good many pupils, and I was anxious to 
become the boxing instructor at the New York 
Athletic Club, so I risked quite a little. However, 
I won and that decided the issue. 

"I became Boxing instructor at the New York 
Athletic Club in 1884. 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 121 

"The position of instructor in boxing in such an 
organization as the New York Athletic Club natu- 
rally brought me in contact with a type of man 
that was far superior to what I had been accus- 
tomed. Many warm friends have I made among 
the best clubmen that, otherwise, I might not have 
had the opportunity to meet on such a familiar 
footing." 

[As the Professor modestly said this, I remem- 
bered the many pleasant evenings that had been 
passed in the boxing room of the old club house 
in 55th St. Often have many of us walked in 
upon Mike to find him the center of a group of old- 
time amateur boxers and prominent clubmen — re- 
lating his many experiences and, patiently and in- 
terestedly, listening to the many-times-told tales of 
prowess of his numerous friends. Those were en- 
joyable evenings. Mike, being a diplomat of wide 
experience and natural instinct, made the time pass 
most pleasantly for all. 

[Speaking of the Professor's extended acquaint- 
ance with prominent men throughout the country, 
reminded me of an incident which happened a num- 
ber of years ago. Mike was spending a week end 
with me on Long Island. Sunday afternoon in 
driving around the country in an automobile, we 
passed through a village noted as one of the most 
fashionable seaside resorts in the East. Mike 
seemed to know everybody or rather everybody 
seemed to know Mike. He was greeted most cor- 



122 MIKE DONOVAN 

dially on all sides. The old veteran responded 
heartily. It was a pleasing sight to see the affec- 
tionate manner exhibited by his many friends.] 

"Newspaper men often interviewed me with re- 
gard to many prominent events, looking for my 
opinion and ideas. A representative of the Cleve- 
land syndicate called at the club one day and asked 
me what I thought of the bout between Sullivan 
and Mitchell at Madison Square Garden. 

"This syndicate included a great many papers, 
and I knew the interview would be widely circu- 
lated. I told the truth. 

"I felt that Mitchell had received a raw deal by 
the police. Captain Williams stopped the bout, 
probably thinking Mitchell was in danger of being 
injured. Mitchell was not hurt and wanted to 
go on. Mitchell had knocked Sullivan down with 
a straight left-hand punch that landed on the jaw, 
and Sullivan, jumping up, rushed at him and with 
a half hit and shove pushed him over the ropes. 
Mitchell came back with a bound, but as he started 
for Sullivan, Captain Williams put out his club and 
would not permit him to box. Mitchell was no 
more injured than if he had not been in the ring. 
Shoving a man over the ropes was a great trick 
with Sullivan. I had seen him do it before. 

"Mitchell in the dressing room afterwards 
walked up to Sullivan, who was sitting in a 
chair perspiring and pretty well played out, and 
said: 



AN ENCOUNTER WITH SULLIVAN 123 



(( (' 



^Look here, Sullivan, Td lick you with the raw 
ones if you'd fight/ 

"Sullivan growled, made a gruff reply, and made 
as if he were going to spring at him, but he never 
left his seat. Then Mitchell came forward, and 
holding his hands in the position of a boxer, he 
put his left fist on Sullivan's nose and said : 
" TU fight you right here. Get up and fight.' 
"Sullivan never moved. Captain Williams 
walked over to Mitchell and told him if he didn't 
go to his dressing room he would arrest him. 
Mitchell protested that he had received a raw deal 
all around, and he left the room. 
"Sullivan looked up at me and said : 
" 'What do you think of that duck?' 
"I did not reply. If Sullivan had only known 
what I thought of him at that time, standing for 
the conduct and insults of Mitchell, he would not 
have felt very proud. 

"I went to Sullivan's hotel about half an hour 
afterward and found him lying on a bed, with a 
man on each side of him, fanning him ! 

"There was a very popular man from Boston 
named John Shay in the room who asked me 
quietly what chance, in my opinion, would Sullivan 
have had with the big fellow, meaning Ned 
O'Baldwin. I had to be careful what I said. I 
told him Sullivan and I had not been friendly for 
a long time and I did not care to give my opinion. 
He pressed me still further and then. I replied: 



124 



MIKE DONOVAN 



cc r 



Wouldn't it look very funny to you if you 
saw Ned O'Baldwin lying there in bed, being 
fanned three quarters of an hour after the bout 
with a little fellow like Mitchell?''' 



CHAPTER IX 

THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 

"As boxing instructor of the New York Athletic 
Club I was continually brought in intimate per- 
sonal contact with representative men of the city. 
They respected and honored me and I tried to repay 
them with hard and conscientious work and with 
my loyalty and affection. My life was indeed laid 
in paths of pleasantness, comfort and comparative 
peace and gentleness. I use the term 'comparative' 
advisedly. Many a hard battle I have fought with 
the strong men of the club who seemed anxious 
to prove to me their affectionate regard and appre- 
ciation of my painstaking instruction by trying 
their best to put the professor away. 

" 'Let's go up and lick Mike/ was a favorite ex- 
pression of a few of my pupils — all in a friendly 
way, but none the less strenuous. 

'*Up they would come from the cafe, and at 
times, I would have several hard goes, one after 
the other. At this period I was in my prime, but 
I found it difficult to protect myself, and at the 
same time not punish the pupil too badly. However, 
there was no serious damage done and we all had 
a good time and it brought us closer together. 

125 



126 MIKE DONOVAN 

"During the winter of 1882, two years before I 
entered the club, I boxed McClellan at the Racquet 
Club. It was on the occasion of a birthday party 
given to Mr. William Travers. In the afternoon 
there had been an athletic entertainment in the club 
rooms before members with their friends, both men 
and women. Billy Edwards boxed with Arthur 
Chambers and I boxed with Mr. James Gladwin. 
After I had finished my part in the affair, I re- 
turned to my academy, not imagining that I was 
to be called upon to appear again in the evening. 
I received a message from Mr. Herman Oelrichs 
to return to the club. When I arrived he asked 
me whether I would fight McClellan to a finish for 
$100 that night in the club. 

"I replied: *No, by no means would I fight 
McClellan to a finish for a $100.' 

'' 'Why,' he said, 'are you afraid of him ?' 

" 'No, certainly not,' I replied, 'but I am not 
foolish. A fight to a finish means a serious strug- 
gle, and I would not do it for a hundred dollars. 
I will fight him for, say, five or six rounds for 
$100.' 

"We agreed on this, and Mr. Oelrichs sent for 
McClellan. The conditions were agreeable to him, 
so we had six rounds of hard fast boxing. I did 
not try to knock him out, but it was my fight all 
right. 

"In the year 1889 John L. Sullivan and Jake 
Kilrain were matched to fight for the heavyweight 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 127 

championship of the world — the fight to take place 
near New Orleans. Richard K. Fox was one of 
the backers of Kilrain. He sent for me, as he had 
heard that I was the right man to look after Kil- 
rain, since I had so many friends in New Orleans. 

'When he offered me the position of second to 
Kilrain, I refused, feeling that they could not af- 
ford to pay me for the trouble. I was the instruc- 
tor at the New York Athletic Club, and had a good 
berth, and was not anxious to get mixed up with 
the affair. I told Fox that I had no particular 
interest in the ev^nt, and that it would be hard 
work and lots of trouble, and my price would be 
more than he could afford to pay. 

" 'How much do you want ?' 

" '$2,500 and my expenses; not a cent less.' 
'Oh, I could not pay you that.' 
'You can't get me then.' I went back to the 
club. The next day I got a message to come down 
to see Fox again. He went over Kilrain' s expenses 
and we estimated mine at $250. The match was 
for $10,000 a side. He couldn't afford to pay me 
$2500 and I told him so. He offered me $1200 
and expenses. 

" 'Well,' I said, 'I'll go back and think it over and 
let you know in the morning.' 

"I consulted with several of my friends at the 
club, and they all said, 'That's all right, $1200. 
Easy money, Mike.' So I accepted the job. And 
I tell you it was some job. Before I got through 






128 MIKE DONOVAN 

with it I had earned my money twice over. It 
was tough — keeping my friends in New Orleans 
from killing my enemies, and protecting my friends 
from the North from getting killed by some of the 
ready shooters of the South. These men I either 
knew personally or indirectly. Killing seemed to 
be in the very air we breathed. There were men 
in New Orleans before and after that brutal fight 
at Richburg that thought no more of killing a man 
than we would think of killing a mosquito. It was 
a terrible atmosphere for any one to live in. Why, 
here's where old psychology comes in. The in- 
fluence of the thought of killing- — that is, the way 
I heard on all sides about this man going to kill that 
man and another laying in wait for some other man 
to kill him — so affected me that toward the last of 
my stay in the South it was all I could do to resist 
the thought to buy a gun and kill a certain man who 
had done some mean trick to me. As I think of 
it now it frightens me; to think how near I came 
to killing a man deliberately in cold blood. 
I tell you, we all of us have to watch care- 
fully our habits of thought. It is really a process 
of daily thinking that makes us either good or bad. 
''Several weeks before the fight I went down to 
New Orleans to feel the people out. There was 
a strong impression in the North that Kilrain would 
not get a square deal. Some of my best friends on 
earth were in New Orleans and they were invalu- 
able to me. Chief Hennessey stood by me like a 






THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 129 

brick. Several times he and (I forget the name 

of the other man) took their Hves in their hands to 
protect me. Chief Hennessey only a few years after 
that was shot by the Mafia. He feared nothing and 
fought the ring, comprised of the members of the 
Mafia, just as fearlessly as he would a single man. 
They got him, but his friends in New Orleans, two 
lawyers, Parkinson and Wyckliff, wiped them out. 
You remember the story of how the jury were 
afraid to convict these men of the Mafia, and after 
they had disagreed and the murderers were still in 
prison, Parkinson and Wyckliff led a mob, and, bat- 
tering down the doors of the jail, shot all the Mafia 
in that prison. 

''Two days before the fight Kilrain came south. 
I met him 75 miles away from the city. Charlie 
Mitchell, champion heavyweight of England, was 
with him. He was to be his other second. When 
we arrived in the city we were well received and 
were escorted to the Southern Athletic Club, where 
I made my headquarters. We were treated splen- 
didly. 

"Mitchell was a very aggressive personality, and 
continually kept putting himself to the front. It 
got on my nerve to see him everlastingly forcing 
himself into the limelight. He would do all the 
talking for Kilrain, and lorded it over him at every 
opportunity. At last I spoke to Kilrain and told 
him he shouldn't let Mitchell act like that. 



130 MIKE DONOVAN 



a r 



'Wait until the fight is over, Mike/ said Jake. 
'It will be different then.' 

^'Kilrain was a very quiet and unassuming chap. 
He didn't have that swaggering, brazen manner of 
Mitchell. He was as game as a fighting cock but 
very modest. 

"An exasperating thing happened to me on my 
journey to the fighting grounds at Richburg. It 
was all on account of the distorted idea Mitchell 
had of his own importance, and also his desire to 
play to the grand stand. He wanted to make peo- 
ple think that the authorities were after him. So 
he took a carriage and drove down a few blocks 
with Kilrain and boarded the special train that was 
provided for us. He should have come through 
the station where Johnny Murphy and I were wait- 
ing for Jake and him to pass. 

"We saw Sullivan come striding through fol- 
lowed by his party. He wasn't afraid of arrest, 
neither were we, but foxy Mitchell thought he 
would do something fancy. So Murphy and I 
waited and waited for Kilrain and Mitchell. At 
last we heard the special train had gone. I tried 
my best to hire a locomotive and catch the train, but 
I could not secure one. 

"We were compelled to wait until nearly one 
o'clock that night. There we had all his baggage 
and his food — cold chicken and other good things. 
It was very provoking. We didn't arrive till the 
following morning. 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 131 

"I was also anxious to be with Kilrain while he 
was on the same train with Sullivan, as a fighter 
is always nervous before a battle. That is natural 
— it is human. Sullivan was the champion of the 
world, and the mental strain was much greater on 
Kilrain than Sullivan. I knew the necessity of 
keeping a man's heart up under such conditions, 
and I felt that I knew how to do it, and I didn't 
think Mitchell did. That's why I was doubly 
anxious to be with Kilrain on this journey. 

^The importance of the move was strongly im- 
pressed upon me when, as Johnny Murphy and I 
were sitting in the station, Sullivan came plowing 
through the crowd in his big bluff manner, and, 
casting a side glance at us, pushed his way through 
the gate. I thought: *If Kilrain sees Sullivan now 
it's all up with us; he'll be a spoiled man.' So I 
was very anxious to be with Jake to protect him 
from any thought of fear. Although Kilrain was 
a wonderfully game man, the thought of possibility 
of defeat would make his chances just so much 
worse. 

"So I was pretty mad when I hunted up Mitchell. 
I didn't want to break with him before the fight, 
but I let him know it was all his fault that I lost 
the train. 

" There was no necessity for all this precaution, 
Mitchell. We were perfectly protected and 
guarded. We were in no danger of arrest. Sulli- 
van walked right through the station and why 






132 MIKE DONOVAN 

couldn't you?' He mumbled some reply and I 
went to find Kilrain. 

'How do you feel, Jake?' 
'Oh, I'm pretty good.' But he was nervous 
and downhearted. 

"Kilrain was a sick man when he entered the 
ring. He had been through an operation not long 
before, and he was not over the effects of it. He 
was game though, and when he toed the scratch 
he was apparently as confident as Sullivan. 

"Just before the fight took place an old squire 
insisted upon getting $250 or he threatened to read 
the riot act. I told them not to give him the money 
because I knew he would read the riot act whether 
he got the money or not. They paid him after he 
had promised not to read the act, but as soon as he 
got the money he read it just as I thought he would. 
That made us all breakers of the law of the State, 
and afterwards got many of us into trouble. 

"Kilrain was a sick man, and never should have 
fought. If I had known his condition I would not 
have allowed him to fight. He had trouble, and 
was operated upon in March, but I did not know 
it until we returned to New Orleans, where I saw 
the marks of the surgeon's knife. I wondered 
what was the matter with him in the ring. He 
couldn't fight at all that day. If he had been 
knocked out, he surely would have been killed. 

"In the last round he was down in our right-hand 
corner, and I saw he was in danger of getting a 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 133 

right-hand swing for the jaw when I lifted him to 
his corner. I told him I was going to throw up 
the sponge. He begged me not to do it. 'I would 
rather die first/ Kilrain said. He was^ as game as 
a fighting cock. 

" This is the last round you'll fight/ I repHed. 
'Don't let him hit you on the jaw.' 

'*He walked up to the scratch, where Sullivan met 
him. Kilrain gave ground, and Sullivan followed. 
They were feinting. The heat was so terrible that 
Kilrain, being a sick man, was, from his own exer- 
tions, in a helpless condition. He stood his ground 
in our right-hand corner, and with lowered guard 
and feet far apart, he waited Sullivan's approach. 
I felt that his life was in danger. I knew if he got 
Sullivan's right on his jaw that it would be a fatal 
blow. I told him to put up his guard, which he 
fortunately did, and the next moment Sullivan, see- 
ing an opening for the body, sent his blow there 
instead of the jaw. 

"Down went Kilrain and lay there. His eyes 
were rolling. 

'* Thank God !' I said, 'he won't die from that 
punch.' 

"We picked him up and carried him to his cor- 
ner. Mitchell ran over to Sullivan and asked him 
how much he would give Kilrain to quit. Sullivan 
said $2,000, but Johnson said : *No, that doesn't go. 
Donovan is throwing up the sponge.' 

"Mitchell told me nothing of trying to get money 



134 MIKE DONOVAN 

from Sullivan, and as I was afraid of having Kil- 
rain killed, I was throwing up the sponge. 

'Time was called, and Mitchell, grabbing the 
almost senseless body of Kilrain, took him stagger- 
ing to the scratch. Kilrain was game, and Mitchell 
thought of nothing but winning regardless of the 
danger and the suffering. Kilrain stood at the 
scratch perfectly helpless, Mitchell yelling to Sulli- 
van to come on. I rushed for Mitchell and grab- 
bing Kilrain, brought him back to his comer. It 
would have been murder. Mitchell and I had a 
few words that would not look well in print. 

"My long experience in the ring told me that 
Kilrain's life was in serious danger. Not that he 
was punished so much, but he was weak and help- 
less from fighting in the sun, and I could see he 
was near a complete collapse. If he had got that 
last punch on the jaw, all would have been over. 

"We had to cut the ropes before we could get 
Kilrain out of the ring. His back was terribly 
sunburned and he was utterly helpless. I was in 
bed the greater part of ten days myself, just from 
my exertions in the broiling sun. Each time I had 
carried Kilrain to the scratch. Mitchell didn't 
carry him once, except the last time when he wanted 
Kilrain to fight on at the risk of his life. 

"When we got Kilrain to the train we had a 
hard time in getting him aboard. I was doing my 
best to make him comfortable and ease him of his 
pain. The poor fellow at last fell asleep, but he 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 135 

rested for only a short time, as the pain in his side 
was intense. As he lay there groaning I felt that 
the last blow might have affected the heart, so I 
went through the train hunting for a doctor. I 
fortunately found one, and he assured Kilrain that 
his heart was sound, and that he was in no danger. 
I felt very happy when the doctor told us this. 

''While we were making the best of things on 
our journey to New Orleans, Johnny Regan, who 
fought Jack Dempsey for the light-weight cham- 
pionship, came to me and said : 

'* 'Mike, Mitchell is in the back car calling Kil- 
rain a coward.' 

"I jumped up and pushing my way into Mit- 
chell's car, went up to him and said: *I heard you 
have been calling Kilrain a coward. Remember, 
your opinion goes with many people and you should 
be careful. Kilrain is one of the gamest men on 
earth. He tried to fight when he wasn't able, and 
I don't want to hear anything more about calling 
him a coward.' 

"Mitchell was a very big talker, and was fond of 
the lime-light. To keep himself in the public eye 
he didn't care what he said. He had no more 
ground for calling Kilrain a coward than he had 
for saying he hadn't been at the fight at all. It 
was absolutely false. Never was there in the his- 
tory of the ring a better exhibition of gameness. 
He was a sick man, and he knew it, yet he went 
into the fight and stayed there till he couldn't stand 



136 MIKE DONOVAN 

any longer. To be sure it wasn't much of a fight. 
Tom Allen, who was one of the great pugilists of 
his time and who was sitting near me at the ring- 
side, said: 'Why, Mike, they fight like two bloom- 
ing old washwomen.' 

'^And they did, 

"Allen was a good judge. He was only defeated 
by Jem Mace. I believe Ned O'Baldwin was the 
only other pugilist that could have bested him. He 
was a great fighter. 

" 'Don't say that again, Tom,' I whispered, 'for 
there is a man behind you who would just as leave 
kill you as not.' 

'Tt was a very tough crowd. Chief of Police 
Hennessey was there with me in civilian's clothes. 
He told me he would look out for me and would 
take care of any man that wanted to hurt me. He 
carried with him two revolvers, and there would 
have been trouble for some one if anything had 
been started. Probably every man in the crowd 
was carrying a gun. 

"One time during the fight serious trouble might 
have occurred. I noticed Sullivan had hurt his 
left hand very badly early in the fight. It was 
swollen up like a boxing glove, and was no use to 
him. I was coaching Kilrain in a low tone of 
voice and told him: 'Don't mind that left; just get 
him in the stomach. Get him there just once, 
Jake.' They were both walking around and feint- 
ing, and when Sullivan came near me I saw he was 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 137 

preparing to hit me. He made a side step, intend- 
ing to catch me, but I was too quick for him. I 
stepped back just two paces. 

"^Oh, no, John,' I said, 'not this time.' 

"If he had hit me, guns would have been drawn 
at once. I had many friends in the audience, and 
there would have been a riot. I probably would 
have been killed but I would not have been the 
only one to go. 

"It was no credit to Sullivan to win from poor 
old Jake. He was all in before he got into the ring. 
I felt sorry for him and took good care of him 
after the fight. Mitchell never bothered his head 
about him. He didn't come near him on the train 
until the following morning at 4 o'clock. I will 
tell you the reason why in a minute. Kilrain was 
grateful for my care and said to me : 

" 'Mitchell doesn't care about me. Mike, you 
were my only friend at that fight.' 

" Tt is too bad, Jake,' I said, 'you didn't know 
that before.' 

"Mitchell seemed to have Kilrain hypnotized. 
He was a stronger character than Kilrain, and he 
really had no liking or respect for him. 

"We went to the Southern Athletic Club and 
gave Kilrain a warm bath. His back was so blis- 
tered that we couldn't rub him. The blisters were 
as large as the palm of your hand. He had to 
lie on his stomach. I went to the drug store and 
bought five or six jars of cold cream,; and taking 



138 MIKE DONOVAN 

a white shirt out of my bag, I tore the back out of 
it, and plastering it with the cold cream, laid it 
upon Jake's back. 

"As he was commencing to feel better I tried to 
cheer him up and told him what a game fight he 
had put up, and how the papers would all speak 
well of him; which they did. I knew they would 
speak well of him, for everybody likes a game man. 
He needn't be clever so long as he is game. 

"Kilrain now commenced to worry about the 
authorities from Mississippi getting after us. Just 
then my old friend Chief Hennessey came up to the 
room to see Kilrain. 

'How do you feel?' asked the Chief. 
'Oh, I'm all right,' replied Kilrain. He would 
have said that, regardless of how badly he was 
hurt. 

" ^Chief ,' I said, ^Jske is worrying about the 
Mississippi authorities getting after him.' 

" 'Say, Jake,' answered the Chief, 'if those fel- 
lows come here after you they have got to come 
to me first, for if they don't I'll lock them up. 
They have no right to take you without first com- 
ing to me, and you can depend upon it I'll protect 
you.' 

" That's all right,' I said; 'I understand it.' 

"This quieted Jake, and all was going well until 
Mitchell in my absence came to Kilrain' s room at 
4 o'clock in the morning, and telling him the Missis- 
sippi authorities were after him, got him to leave 






THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 139 

for the North. Mitchell had been out the whole 
night doing up the town, and came in with this lie 
and scared Jake. It was perfectly evident what 
Mitchell was after: a good slice of the money, 
and he got it. I had warned Kilrain that Mitchell 
would try to get three or four thousand dollars 
away from him, and had advised him not to give 
him a cent of his money, but Jake, as I said before, 
seemed to be hypnotized by Mitchell. 

"I had left Kilrain about seven o'clock that night 
and went to my rooms to take a much needed rest. 
My back was badly sunburned. 

"How Kilrain ever got on his shirt I don't know 
— ^he was so sore from blisters. He was not hurt 
from being hit, barring that last blow. His mouth 
was bruised a bit and he had recovered from the 
effects of the body blow, but his sunburnt back was 
a sight. However, Mitchell induced him to skip 
away and they both started early that morning. 
They went up on the other side of the Mississippi 
and into Indiana. I found out afterwards they had 
a terrible time. It seems Mitchell had hired a 
detective in the North named Morris. He was to 
receive $250 to protect Kilrain and Mitchell on the 
way South to New Orleans and during their stay 
there. 

"When Morris learned that Kilrain and Mitchell 
had got away from him, he was hot. He swore 
he would get them and give them up to the Missis- 
sippi people. I went down to the hotel a.nd met 



140 MIKE DONOVAN 

Morris and tried to talk him out of it. I offered 
him one hundred dollars to do nothing further 
about it. 

" *No, Donovan/ Morris said, Tm going to get 
Mitchell and bring him back and make him do time 
in Mississippi/ He telegraphed to Indiana to a 
number of places but Mitchell was too foxy. He 
would get off at a small county junction and take 
a train across country, doubling on his tracks and 
crisscrossing every which way. He was never 
caught. Morris, however, caused him much 
trouble, and the commotion he started in the North 
nearly got me landed in jail in Cincinnati when I 
came to go back. 

"The Southern Athletic Club was to give a box- 
ing exhibition in about one week and as they had 
been so kind to me I remained in New Orleans to 
box at their entertainment. They appreciated my 
efforts and presented me with a two hundred and 
fifty dollar gold watch. 

"So long as I remained in New Orleans I knew 
I was protected by my good friend Chief Hen- 
nessey, but how was I to get home? We arranged 
it at last. Mr. John Garrett of the Crescent Road 
had a special train run me over to Meridian, and 
from there I took a train for the North. Not a 
soul on that train knew I was there, with the ex- 
ception of one man, who when we stopped for 
water, got aboard and had a little chat with me. 
He was th^ second superintendent, who had been 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 141 

notified to look after me. When I reached Cincin- 
nati I came near falling into one of the traps 
Morris had set for Kilrain and Mitchell. 

"In walking around I happened to see the name 
over a saloon door of a man who was quite famous 
in the town and I thought I would call upon him. 
So I dropped in and introduced myself as Clifford. 
I was enjoying my chat with him, asking all about 
his fights and listening to him bragging about his 
victories. He was quite chesty, and was very 
amusing. Then in came two friends of his who 
were detectives. 

" ^Boys, this is Mr. Clifford,' said the local 
scrapper, introducing me. 

" What name?' said one of the men, looking at 
me very closely. 

'Clifford, Clifford is my name,' I replied. 

We had a few drinks and were chatting to- 
gether when one of them said: 'What's your 
name ?* 

" 'Clifford,' I answered. 

"Then some more talk and I commenced to feel 
uneasy. These men kept looking at me very hard. 
I was well dressed and evidently did not look like 
a pug, and it puzzled them, for they had their sus- 
picions who I was. I said to myself : 'Here, I must 
bluff this out or I'll get pinched as sure as I'm 
alive.' So in a careless and easy manner I ordered 
more drinks, and also added the cigars, trying ii\ 



ti' 



142 MIKE DONOVAN 

every way to play the part of a wealthy sporting 
man, but it didn't seem to work. 

''The same detective asked me the third time 
what was my name. I've told you twice,' I said. 
Tf you don't remember you can forget it, that's all. 
What do you mean by asking me my name so many 
times?' 'Oh! we don't mean anything,' the de- 
tective replied, and shortly after they left the place. 

"I said to the local pug : 'My name isn't Clifford. 
My name is Mike Donovan, and I am going to get 
out of the town.' He tried to get me to come back. 
I had left the side-door but I said : 'No, those fel- 
lows are pretty fly, and I wouldn't trust them.' 

"I went down to the hotel, and after taking a hot 
bath I turned in. Early in the morning I made 
for the train. I had not been gone more than five 
minutes when they were after me. Not finding 
me at the hotel, they rushed down to the station. I 
learned afterwards that the main station was 
swarming with detectives but I didn't go there. I 
had been tipped off to go up the track for about 
half a mile or so and get aboard the train at an- 
other station. Some of my friends wanted me to 
take a carriage, but I felt safe walking by myself 
to this small station. I had it figured correctly as 
nobody bothered me. I had completely thrown 
them off my track. But it was a close call. The 
conductor when he came through the car for tickets 
looked me over very carefully and said : 'It 
wouldn't be hard to tell who you are. You are 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 143 

Mike Donovan and there was a bunch of them 
looking for you at the main station.' 

" *You won't give me away, will you?' I asked. 

" *I will not,' he answered. *I knew your 
brother Jerry and a lot of your friends. You are 
all right and I'll take care of you.' 

"I had no ticket. He not only didn't charge me 
for the trip I had with him but he got me a pass 
before we parted which took me without any charge 
straight to New York. I was to have been pro- 
vided with a pass from Cincinnati but I could not 
wait for it. I offered to send the money back to 
him for my fare, but as I said, he not only didn't 
charge me but also got me the pass. Nothing like 
having friends in need! I tell you I was mighty 
glad to get back to my family and my work in the 
New York Athletic Club. 

^*In my absence a number of my older pupils were 
taking care of my boxing room. Charlie Coster, 
Stuyve Wainright, Jimmy Motley, Allie Geer, and 
Archie Thompson were keeping things going. 
^They were all glad to get me back, and if they were 
LS glad as I was they must have been very happy. 
!ut I did not remain with them very long, for back 

had to go. Billy Muldoon, Mike Cleary and I 

ere taken back to New Orleans. We had to go. 

They sent after us. We went to Mississippi, and 

I telegraphed to Charlie Rich to come and bail us 

^ut. He wired back to tell the marshal to bring 

Mis all up to his place and that he would sign the 

I 



144 MIKE DONOVAN 

bail bond there. When this ceremony was over 
we returned to New Orleans. The Southern 
Athletic Club gave a big show and we were offered 
sixty per cent, of the gate receipts to box there. 
That netted us about three hundred dollars apiece. 
"On this trip to New Orleans I came very near 
getting in serious trouble. If it hadn't been for 
the care of Chief Hennessy I surely would have 
been put in prison for a long time. One afternoon 
Mike Cleary and I walked into a well known saloon 
kept by a man named Schonhauser, where I wanted 
to buy some tickets for a show that was to come 
off in New Orleans. I wished to get the tickets 
for Chief Hennessey and his friends. When we ap- 
proached Schonhauser, whom I had met on my re- 
cent trip, he refused to sell us any tickets. Cleary 
an^ I talked with him but couldn't move him. All 
he would say was : 'I won't sell none of them tickets 
now.' At last Cleary got mad and wanted to lick 
him but I held him back and told him he might 
hurt Schonhauser. He was a big fat Dutchman, 
and Cleary might have seriously injured him. I 
pacified them as well as I could, and then ordered 
a bottle of wine. After finishing the drinks, 
Schonhauser warmed up a bit and gave me two 
complimentary tickets, but he would not give Cleary 
any, and as I saw trouble brewing, I induced Cleary 
to go out with me. When we got outside I gave 
Cleary my tickets and sent him home. I returned 
to talk it over still further with Schonhauser. As 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 145 

I entered his dive I walked up to him and said : 

" 'Hello, Schonhauser, old boy/ 

*'He called Cleary a vile name and I didn't like 
it and told him so. The wine I had just drunk, 
which, by the way, was the first drink I had taken 
on that trip, did not help my discretion or good 
judgment. I believe I would have avoided trouble 
if I had not been slightly under the influence. One 
word led to another, and Schonhauser reached be- 
hind the bar for a bung-starter. As he lifted it 
in the air to hit me, I copped him on the jaw and 
down he went. Then some one from behind hit 
me on the head with a club and down I went on 
top of Schonhauser. A special officer had hit me, 
with a billy. How long I was down I donH know. 
When I got to my feet there were two officers there 
who grabbed me and brought me to the station. I 
had a lot of friends in New Orleans, and some one 
notified the Chief that I was under arrest. He 
came to the station house and paroled me. 

"As we were walking up the street together I 
told him everything that had occurred and he ad- 
vised me to plead guilty in the morning; he told 
me he would get me oflf with a small fine. We 
went to a restaurant and had a bite. As I left the 
Chief, I promised him I would go right home. I 
walked up the street towards Canal Street. I 
hadn't gone very far when some one came up be- 
hind me and gave me a push with a club. Turning 
around, I saw a sergeant of police who knew me, 



146 MIKE DONOVAN 

and who ought to have shown me kindness instead 
of treating me roughly. When I was in New Orleans 
with Kilrain this same sergeant had asked me if I 
could get his photograph in the Gazette, I sent his 
picture with a fake story to Mr. Fox and it came 
out in the Police Gazette. The sergeant evidently 
knew I had been arrested and he wanted notoriety, 
which he knew he would get if he arrested me. So 
he kept shoving me along with his club. I told 
him if he pushed me again I would knock him 
down. He didn't pay any attention to my threat, 
so I caught him on the jaw with my right and 
dropped him. He got up and started to arrest me. 
A crowd collected, and several policemen rushed up 
to grab me. I backed up against a wall and, strik- 
ing a fighting position, I challenged any policeman 
to try to arrest me. Fortunately the crowd was 
with me, and the police knew there would be shoot- 
ing if they all jumped on me, so they didn't dare 
tackle me. The crowd saved my life, for I was 
determined no policeman would take me to jail. I 
said I would go with any one but a policeman. A 
friend of mine by the name of Kenny came for- 
ward, and, taking me lightly by the coat-sleeve, he 
led me to the station house, where only a few mo- 
ments before I had been released. As we were en- 
tering the station, the crowd yelled out: *Don't 
you club that man, or we'll pull down the place.' 
They were afraid the policemen would take me into 
a cell and beat me up. When I was brought up to 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 147 

the desk the sergeant who was in charge said: 
'Well ! You here again ?' 

" 'Yes/ I said, 'and you haven't got a policeman 
on your force that can lock me up. I came here 
with a friend of mine/ He was a Frenchman, and 
I didn't like him, as he acted in a very chesty 
manner. 

"After hearing the sergeant's complaint, he said : 
'Lock him up,' and they took me down into a cell. 
Some one ran out and got Chief Hennessey again. 
He ordered me brought up, and listened to my side 
of the case. 

"I told him I was going home quietly and that the 
sergeant pushed me in a violent manner. 

" 'It was a put-up job on me. Chief,' I said, 'and 
you will find it out' 

"He allowed me to go again, telling me to come 
down in the morning. When I appeared in court 
in the morning, the judge fined me twenty-five dol- 
lars for resisting arrest. I pulled out the money, 
paid my fine, and started to leave. The judge 
called me back and said : 'I'm not through with you 
vet.' I went over to a seat and sat down. 'Go back 
to the cell,' said the judge. So into the cell I went. 
It was a small room and full of men. Several of 
my friends were there who had been locked up for 
taking my part in the row with the police. They 
had been fined, and didn't have the money with 
them. I insisted upon paying their fines. Reyn- 
olds let me pay his fine, but later made me take it 



148 MIKE DONOVAN 

back. It wasn't right, and I told him so. He really 
saved my life, for he drew a gun and threatened to 
shoot when the police were all about to jump on me. 

" *You did me a big favor, old man,' I said, 'for 
those fellows would have killed me.' 

"But Reynolds wouldn't have it that way, so I 
had to take back the money. There were a couple 
of sailors and two niggers in the cell along with two 
Irishmen and a friend of mine named Reilly. I 
paid all their fines. Most of them hunted me up 
afterwards and returned the money. 

"In about half an hour I was arraigned before 
the judge again. His manner was exceedingly se- 
vere. He seemed to be prejudiced against me. 

" 'You are charged with assault and battery of 
Schonhauser,' growled the judge. 'What do you 
say to that?' 

"The court room was crowded, and the attitude 
of the judge was so forbidding that I completely 
forgot Chief Hennessey's advice and replied : 
^Not guilty.' 

^You are charged with assault and battery of 
Schonhauser,' again said the judge, in a most dis- 
agreeable manner. 

" 'Not guilty,' said I, and I added : 'What do you 
mean by talking to me in this manner? You seem 
to be against me.' 

"The clerk of the court, who evidently was a 
friend of mine, seeing the judge flush up, made 
signs to me to quit. 






THE SULLIVAN-KlLRAIN FIGHT 14^ 

'T was put under five hundred dollars' bail to 
appear for trial. I had to remain in New Orleans 
for three weeks waiting for the trial to come off. It 
was a hard blow to me. I commenced to realize the 
trouble I was in, and got worrying over home af- 
fairs. I thought I would lose my position at the 
club, and that I would be ruined. Like most fools 
under these conditions, I commenced to drink hard. 
Of course the more I drank the worse everything 
got. The papers commenced to roast me hard, and 
it was only by good luck that I was saved from 
committing murder. What with the drink and with 
hearing every one talking of killing this man and 
that man, I found it most difficult to resist the 
temptation that came to me many times to buy a gun 
and go down to one of the newspaper offices and 
kill a certain reporter whom I knew to be writing 
against me. It doesn't seem to be so hard to kill a 
man when everybody around you is talking of kill- 
ing. That's what's the matter with our East Side 
gunmen. They simply live in the atmosphere of 
killing. Everybody is talking about it, and it ap- 
pears an easy and natural thing to kill your enemies. 
My friend Pat Kendrick and his wife undoubtedly 
saved me. I was staying with them, and they saw 
I was going too far. They took good care of me. 
Mrs. Kendrick used to hide my clothes in the cup- 
board, and I couldn't go out for days at a time. 

**When I got straightened out, I went to the 
Chief and had a long talk with him. I told him how 



I50 MIKE DONOVAN ^j 

sorry I was to cause him all thfs trouble, but he said 
that it was all right, and was very kind to me. We 
talked it over, and he said : 

" 'Mike, I can't go to that man Schonhauser and 
ask him to let up on you. That's what he wants. 
You see, he keeps a dive, and he would own me. I 
can't afford to do it. You must get somebody who 
can work it for you. It can be squared by the 
proper party.' It went on this way for ten days or 
two weeks. We tried man after man, but the big 
fat Dutchman turned them all down. 

" 'Naw, I can't let up on that Donovan. He hit 
me here and knocked me down. I'll fix him.' That's 
all could be got out of Dutchy. 

"Mr. Bud Walmsley and others tried it, but 
failed. Three weeks went by, and I was getting 
downhearted. I was a long way from Broadway, 
and I felt anxious. It looked like very serious 
trouble. Chief Hennessey tried to cheer me up. He 
said it would be all right. I imagine if worse came 
to worse he felt he would square it himself. But I 
didn't have any such feeling. I felt greatly discour- 
aged. One afternoon I was in a hotel and met Phil 
Dwyer from New York, who was with Pat Duffy, 
a big sporting man of New Orleans. They had just 
come in from the races. 

" 'Hello, Mike,' said Dwyer. T hear you are in 
great trouble.' 

" 'Yes,' I replied, 'and just from hitting a big fat 



iC 



a r 



THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 151 

Dutchman. He is going to try to send me to prison 
for assault and battery.' 

"He asked me if I needed money. I thanked him 
and told him no. 

*' 'No one/ I said, 'can do anything with this man. 
They have all tried but failed.' 

'' 'Have you asked Pat Duffy?' Dwyer repHed. 

" 'No,' I said; 'I didn't want to ask Duffy for a 
favor of that kind.' 

'Dwyer then went over to Duffy and said : 
'You can fix this thing up. Why not go over 
to this fellow and square it up for Mike?' 

" 'Why, certainly,' answered Duffy. 'I will go 
right over now.' 

"He and Dwyer left the hotel and called upon 
Schonhauser. 

"Phil Dwyer told me afterwards all about the 
interview. 

" 'Hello, Schonhauser,' said Duffy. 'Have a 
drink.' 

"Schonhauser knew Duffy well. Duffy was one 
of the big sporting men of New Orleans and was 
known as a very dangerous man to have for an 
enemy. 

" 'I've come in,' said Duffy, 'to see you about 
Mike Donovan.' 

"Duffy got the same answer as all of the ones 
who had pleaded with Schonhauser before : 

Naw, I can't let up on that Donovan. He hit 



(( (' 



152 MIKE DONOVAN 

me here/ pointing to his jaw, 'and knocked me 
down, ril fix him/ 

" *Now look here, Schonhauser,' replied Duffy. 
'Donovan is a decent fellow, and he has a wife and 
family in New York, and a good position. He is 
well thought of all over. He only hit you with his 
fist. You did seven years for jabbing a fellow in 
the face with a glass bottle. If you appear against 
Donovan, you will never leave the court room alive; 
Reynolds says he will kill you, and if he misses 
there will be others there to help him out. Now, 
Schonhauser, if you know what is best for you, and 
you don't want to get killed, don't appear against 
that man.' 

Wall,' said Schonhauser, 'what shall I do?' 
'Go right down to court and withdraw that 
charge right now,' directed Duffy. 

"Schonhauser thought it over, and finally con- 
cluded to take Duffy's tip. He went down and 
withdrew the charges, and came back and reported 
to Duffy and Dwyer. They immediately came over 
and told me the good news. By golly, I was the 
happiest man on earth! 

'*Duffy said: 'You can go home now.' I could 
hardly realize it. I couldn't thank Pat Duffy and 
Phil Dwyer enough. They were friends that helped 
me out of one of the most disagreeable and serious 
situations of my whole life. The next day I started 
for the North, but before leaving I went to Chief 
Hennessey. 






THE SULLIVAN-KILRAIN FIGHT 153 



<( d 



"Chief/ I said, Tm going home, and I want to 
take your hand and thank you for all youVe done 
for me. Schonhauser is fixed all right.' 

"The Chief was much relieved that it came 
around as it did, and was very glad to see me so 
happy and everything in such good shape. 

'' ^Chief , I was your father's friend, and I am 
your friend as long as you live, and I shall always 
remember you in my prayers.' 

"We had a few more words at parting, and I 
warned him against that sergeant, as he was a mean 
fellow and no friend of his. Shortly after return- 
ing to New York, I learned that this sergeant got on 
a drunk, and the Chief hearing of it, sent detectives 
from Headquarters and arrested him. They held 
him just where he held me, and they sent for the 
patrol wagon, and, taking him to Headquarters, 
they broke him. He got his deserts, for he was a 



mean cuss.'' 



CHAPTER X 



DONOVAN As KILRAIN's SECOND 



For this chapter, throwing Hght on the conspicu- 
ous part Donovan played in the SulHvan-Kilrain 
fight, the author is indebted to a newspaper man 
who reported the contest for a leading New York 
daily newspaper: 

My familiar acquaintance with ^'Mike'' Donovan 
began when we traveled together from New York 
to New Orleans to attend the Sullivan-Kilrain 
heavyweight championship prize fight which took 
place July 8, 1889, on the plantation owned by 
Charles J. Rich, at Richburg, Miss. This was the 
last fight in the United States under London Prize 
Ring rules, which called for a turf ring, bare knuck- 
les, thirty-second rest between rounds, and permit- 
ted wrestling of a not altogether scientific character. 
Under these rules when one of the fighters was 
knocked down, or adroitly went down to avoid pun- 
ishment, the round ended. 

Fighting under London rules was banned by the 
law of most states prior to 1889, and many persons 
believed the authorities would prevent the Sullivan- 
Kilrain contest. At times the prospects were not 

154 



DONOVAN AS KILRAIN'S SECOND 155 

encouraging to the principals. The governors of 
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama issued proc- 
lamations forbidding it and empowering sheriffs to 
intervene. In Louisiana several companies of state 
troops were called out to prevent *'an unlawful as- 
semblage.'' Selection of the battle ground, there- 
fore, was a difficult matter. Not only was it neces- 
sary to satisfy the fighters and their financial back- 
ers, but it was imperative that no word of its loca- 
tion should reach the authorities. These details are 
mentioned because, in the writer's opinion, without 
Donovan's energy and aid, it is more than probable 
that the battle would never have taken place. His 
acquaintance in New Orleans was extended and in- 
fluential. The Chief of Police, David Hennessey, 
and Captain William H. Beanham of the Louisiana 
Rifles were his staunch friends, while half of the 
men in the Crescent City seemed to know and like 
him. 

Sullivan was backed by Charles Johnston of 
Brooklyn and James Wakely of New York City, 
and trained by William Muldoon, former heavy- 
weight champion wrestler. Richard K. Fox, of the 
Police Gazette — ^who, by the way, never saw a prize 
fight in his life — furnished the money for Kilrain. 
Frank Stevenson was financial representative for 
Mr. Fox. William E. Harding, a professional 
walker and prize ring reporter, who receives some 
attention from Professor Donovan in this book, 
was sent along to represent Mr. Fox's newspaper. 



156 MIKE DONOVAN 

When he came to the selection of men to second 
Kilrain, Mr. Fox faced a problem. Sullivan was a 
popular idol and an overwhelming favorite in the 
South because he would never allow himself to be 
matched against a negro. It was intimated freely 
in sporting circles that Kilrain would not be per- 
mitted to win, even to the point of cutting the ropes 
of the ring and breaking up the fight in case it be- 
came apparent that Sullivan might lose. It was nec- 
essary for Mr. Fox to pick out men whom he knew 
to be courageous, honest and skilled in prize ring 
tactics. The first man he engaged was Donovan. 
The second was Charlie Mitchell, the English cham- 
pion, and he also retained the services of Luke 
Short of Texas and Bartholomew (Bat) Masterson 
of Kansas and Colorado, both of whom were re- 
nowned in the West as shooting men par excellence. 
Their presence Mr. Fox deemed necessary to pre- 
serve order at the ringside. 

All of the preliminary work devolved upon Ste- 
venson and Donovan, and the latter's responsibili- 
ties were by far the more exacting. It was essential 
for him to exert sufficient influence to circumvent 
the authorities in their efforts to stop the fight, and 
to create an atmosphere that v/ould insure Kilrain 
fair play. He accomplished both purposes — but not 
without strenuous effort. 

Donovan and I left New York for New Orleans 
early in June, 1889, nearly four weeks before the 
date of the fight. Stevenson and Harding preceded 



DONOVAN AS KILRAIN'S SECOND 157 

us. We traveled in a Mann boudoir car, and had 
the compartment to ourselves. During the forty- 
eight-hour journey he related to me many incidents 
of his fighting career, and, always demonstrative, he 
occasionally would stand me up to illustrate some 
blow which had served him well in the ring. When 
the train was running on a straight track this was 
entertaining, but once, while doing a '*close-up" of 
a "punch'' he used on George Rook, the train struck 
a curve — and to-day I can tell you how Rook felt 
after Donovan landed this particular blow. 

Arriving in New Orleans, we found the city in 
high anticipation of the greatest prize-ring match 
the world up to that time had ever known, but few 
persons believed it would be possible for the men to 
fight. Even thus early the Governor of Louisiana 
had announced that he would spare no effort to pre- 
vent the encounter. "Bud" Renaud was given the 
management of the event. Of course the first thing 
to do was to select a battle ground. Several sites 
were visited by Messrs. Renaud, Stevenson, Dono- 
van and "Jack" Bamett, who was the only Sullivan 
representative then on the ground. Finally Mr. 
Rich's plantation was secretly agreed upon. It was 
about one hundred miles from New Orleans. 

With some of Donovan's statements and impres- 
sions of the fight as related to the author of this 
book I do not concur. Some are overdrawn and 
some are underdrawn. For example, he says 
the sheriff at Richburg received $250 to 



158 MIKE DONOVAN 

permit the fight and not read the "riot act" 
— and then declined to "stay bought." Two hours 
before the jfighters entered the ring six mounted 
men, each carrying a rifle, arrived at Mr. Rich's 
house. After considerable negotiation, Mr. Renaud 
paid the sheriff $250 and each of the others $100. 
Mr. Rich told me afterward that, later, the sum was 
doubled. All of these faithful guardians of the law 
sat in the front row at the ringside, each holding his 
gun across his lap. 

Donovan's action in throwing up the sponge for 
Kilrain in the seventy-fifth round not only was jus- 
tifiable, but was prompted by excellent judgment 
— although had he waited a second or two, Mitchell 
might have succeeded in extracting $2,000 from 
Sullivan's backers. Donovan knew nothing, how- 
ever, of Mitchell's intentions. 

Donovan, Sullivan and Mitchell died in 1918 
within a few months of each other — -a coincidence 
that has not failed to cause comment. 

One of Donovan's interesting experiences not 
mentioned by him to the author was an exhibition 
bout with Dominick McCaffrey. In the early nine- 
ties the writer was chairman of a committee that 
managed a Carnival of Sports in Madison Square, 
given as a benefit to the New York Press Club. It 
produced $10,000 net for the club's building fund. 
At that time Donovan was instructor of boxing at 
the New York Athletic Club, and McCaffrey held 



DONOVAN AS KILRAIN'S SECOND 159 

the same job with the Manhattan Athletic Club. 
Rivalry between the clubs was intense. The houses 
of Capulet and Montague were not more poignantly 
divided. The Cherry Diamond organization had 
just moved into a fine new clubhouse on Madison 
Avenue, and was cutting a pretty wide swath in ath- 
letics. There were frequent discussions over the 
relative professional merits of Donovan and Mc- 
Caffrey. 

All the stars in the sporting firmament agreed to 
appear at this carnival — and they did. I thought a 
Donovan and McCaffrey bout would be a drawing 
attraction, and placed the negotiations in the hands 
of the late Howard Hackett, who finally arranged 
that the men should give an exhibition contest of 
three rounds, without seconds or a referee, and 
consequently there was to be no decision. 

Few cleverer bouts than this one have ever been 
seen in New York City. Hundreds of members of 
the Winged Foot and Cherry Diamond clubs, seated 
on opposite sides of the Garden, applauded their fa- 
vorites with true partisan spirit, while the big crowd 
cheered the boxers to the echo. It had been feared 
that one (or both) of them might lose his temper, 
but nothing of the kind happened. No finer expo- 
sition of the value of boxing as a factor in acquir- 
ing self-control has ever been witnessed in the Gar- 
den. Clean and clever was the work of these mas- 
ters of the art of self-defense, with honors divided, 
and they were freely congratulated on the bout by 



i6o MIKE DONOVAN 

members of the two clubs. The fact that neither 
man, professional rivals as they were, became even 
excited while their partisans were loudly beseeching 
each to ''put him out'' carries its own lesson as to 
the schooling in physical restraint provided by this 
form of exercise. 
Now *'Mike" Donovan is dead. God rest his soul. 



CHAPTER XI 

A FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 

"I HAVE had many rough fights and experiences, 
but the toughest of them all was my encounter with 
the London cabbies. I cannot imagine a more try- 
ing situation. Seven husky cabbies at me all at the 
same time ! How I ever got out of that cabby shel- 
ter with my life I do not know. It was a great fight. 
I doubt if any other fighting man ever had a similar 
experience. 

''In 1894 I was greatly run down from over-work 
and needed a rest. My good pupils and friends in 
the club made up a purse of five hundred dollars. 
They sent me to the other side, feeling that the 
ocean trip and change of surroundings would do 
me good. CharHe Coster, Jimmy Motley, Stuyve 
Wainwright, Alfred de Goicouria, Jimmy Gladwin, 
Allie Geer, Arthur Moore, Simeon Ford, Archie 
Thomson, Billy Hart, Dick Halstead, and many 
other good friends contributed and wished me fare- 
well. 

I sailed in a slow transport so as to obtain the 
benefit of a long sea voyage. There were only 
five passengers on board. A lawyer and his wife 

161 



i62 MIKE DONOVAN 

(I cannot recall their name), Rev. Dr. Eggleston, 
Dr. Gilespie and myself comprised the list. The 
wife of the lawyer was a most charming and beauti- 
ful woman, a cousin of our former Mayor Seth 
Low. She was exceedingly gracious to me. Many 
a pleasant hour I spent talking to her and her hus- 
band. The clergyman and the doctor were also 
delightful company, and we started to get along 
famously. I was careful to hide my identity, as I 
was not proud of my profession in such refined 
company. They asked me no questions, so I told 
them no lies. 

There were some cattle aboard, and after we were 
a few days out, I strolled down on the cattle deck 
to see how things were going. This proved my 
undoing. I had no sooner put my foot on that deck 
than a man came up to me, and, offering his hand, 
called me by name. ■ I immediately bound him over 
to secrecy, promising him five dollars if he would 
not tell any one until after I had left the ship. I 
didn't want to embarrass my new-found friends. 

^*The man was the foreman of the cattle' crew, 
and he promised to keep my secret. But he lost 
his five. Within twenty-four hours he had told the 
engineer, a man named Morris. Morris told the 
captain, then they all knew. I noticed a change in 
their attitude toward me after about four days out. 
I couldn't quite understand. Their conversation 
suddenly turned to prize fighting. They would dis- 
cuss the merits of certain prominent fighters. Final- 



FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 163 

[ly, becoming interested and warming up to the sub- 
ject, the clergyman turned to me and said : 

" Trofessor, whom do you consider the better 
man — ^Jackson or Sullivan?' 

" 'Oh, Doctor,' I replied, T don't know/ They 
all laughed. 

" *You are certainly a very sly fellow,' answered 
Dr. Eggleston. *We know who you are. Now tell 
us about it. Why did you try to dissemble?' 

'' T thought I might shock you,' I replied. *You 
know prize fighters are considered a tough lot of 
citizens.' 

" *Yes, but there are prize fighters and prize fight- 
ers. There is apparently nothing shocking about 
you,' answered the good doctor. 

''We all had a good laugh and became fast friends 
throughout a most enjoyable voyage. Rev. Dr. 
Eggleston came from Baltimore. He was a brother 
of Bishop Eggleston of the Episcopal Church. His 
father was a judge away back in the forties. He 
was the judge that tried Tom Hyer for his fight 
with Yankee Sullivan, They fought in eastern 
Maryland. The Reverend Doctor was a good man, 
with red blood in his veins. A Christian gentleman. 
He was such good company. I was in need of ex- 
ercise, and, as the Reverend Doctor was athletic, 
he helped me make a track around the ship, over 
the bales of hay. We placed wide boards on top 
of the bales so that it was fairly easy going. The 
deck did not offer much room for walking, so over 



i64 MIKE DONOVAN 

these bales Dr. Eggleston and I used to do about 
ten miles a day* Our fellow passengers used to 
call the Reverend Doctor my trainer. We had lots 
of fun and we were all sorry when we parted in 
London. 

''I htmted up Billy Edwards, who was with his 
son visiting in London. I spent a very pleasant 
week seeing the sights with Billy and his son and 
Doctor Ordway. Then I went to dear old Ireland, 
the home of my fathers. I stayed there two weeks, 
enjoying Dublin, the Lakes of Killarney, Cork, 
Limerick, and other places. 

''On my return to London I got into the tough 
fight with the cabbies. I thought I would hunt up 
Billy Edwards again, so I directed a cabby to take 
me to Poney Moore's place. Moore was the father- 
in-law of Charlie Mitchell. He kept an inn. I 
found that Billy had returned to his hotel, so after 
remaining an hour or two, I started for my hotel in 
a cab. It was then about twelve o'clock, and, as I 
was hungry, I wanted something to eat. Accord- 
ing to the law in London, the bar and restaurant of 
my hotel would be closed, so I asked the cabby if 
he knew of some good place where I could get some- 
thing hot to eat. 

" 'Oh, yes, sir,' replied the cabby. 'Hi will toik 
you to a bloody fine cabby shelter where you can 
get a good meal.' 

"I didn't know a cabby shelter from a haystack. 
We kept going out Regent Street in the opposite 



FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 165 

direction from my hotel, and I didn't much care for 
the neighborhood, especially at that time of night. 
However, I was hungry, so I made no objections. 
We stopped in a gloomy square, with a little house 
in the center. I didn't like the looks of it, and re- 
marked to the cabby that I didn't think it was good 
enough. 

'* That place is all right,' replied the cabby. 
'Gentlemen often eat here when out late.' 

"I had my suspicions. My friends had warned 
me about London cabbies as being a tough lot of 
rascals. An honest one, I found out, was an ex- 
ception. My cabbie was plausible enough, and, 
thinking he might prove the exception, my empty 
stomach persuaded me to believe him. I jumped 
out of the cab and entered the place. The room 
was about twelve feet long and six feet wide with 
a little narrow table about twelve inches wide run- 
ning around against the wall on three sides. There 
were about ten men sitting around this sort of shelf. 
They did not look like cabbies to me. In their con- 
versation they used the sort of jargon that profes- 
sional thieves talk when they don't want outsiders 
to understand. Taking a seat, I ordered a chop and 
coffee. I noticed they were looking me over. I 
was well dressed and I had a bundle of blackthorns 
that I was bringing home to a number of friends in 
the club. I was wearing the gold watch and chain, 
worth two hundred and fifty dollars, that was pre- 
sented to me by my good friends of New Orleans 



i66 MIKE DONOVAN 

just after the fight between Sullivan and Kilrain. 
The gang saw this, and when they got sight of a 
two-hundred-dollar bill which I drew from my fob 
pocket and carelessly displayed when paying for 
my meal, they decided I was ripe for picking. Dur- 
ing my meal I overheard remarks, which they could 
not disguise in their jargon, about Yankee suckers. 
There was one big chap who did most of the talk- 
ing. I looked at him in a determined way to show 
him and his gang that I was not afraid of him or 
them. I showed that I had no fear of them. 
Thieves I always knew to be cowards, and I felt 
that I could thrash the whole gang that was in that 
room. When I arose to go the big fellow reached 
over and picked up the only loose blackthorn and 
asked me what I called the 'blooming thing.' His 
manner was offensive, so I grabbed the stick from 
him. This was the only stick rescued from the 
bunch. I brought it back with me to America and 
presented it to my old friend and pupil, James 
Motley. 

"By this time my fighting blood was up. I told 
the big duffer that I would punch him in the jaw if 
he didn't mind his own business. 

" 'Oh, I beg your pardon, sir,' said he, stepping 
back. I turned around to keep my eyes on the 
others, when he hit me a terrific blov/ on the jaw. 
It staggered me. My knees bent under me, and I 
nearly went down. Fists came from all directions. 
Seven were at me, hammering away as hard as they 



FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 167 

could. I was dazed from the shock of the blow on 
the jaw, but when other punches were landed on 
my head, they helped me regain my wits. Then 
we had it hot and heavy. It seems like a dream. 
How I ever managed to get out of that place alive 
is a mystery. The big fellow held me around the 
waist. It was then that I lost my watch and money. 
He took everything I had except a bunch of bills in 
the inner pocket of my waistcoat. In front of me 
stood a short, thick-set fellow whom I was doing 
my best to drop with a punch on the jaw. My blows 
were landing a trifle high. He was letting fly at 
me as fast as a gatling gun. I took his blows on 
the hard part of my head, so he did me no serious 
damage. The chunky one could fight. He kept his 
jaw well protected, but I got him at last, and down 
he went. Each time I drew back I would try to 
punch the big fellow, who was holding me. I 
would try to get him with my elbows. The other five 
on the sides were putting in punches wherever and 
whenever they could. I ducked many of them, 
keeping my jaw well down to save me from a 
knock-down or a knock-out. If they had once got 
me on the floor I would undoubtedly have been 
kicked to death. One of the seven suddenly jumped 
on the table, and proceeded to kick me. I couldn't 
prevent his kicking me on the body — I had to take 
them, as my hands were busy in punching — but a 
kick which he aimed for my jaw, which I fortu- 
nately saw in time, I partly blocked with my left 



i68 MIKE DONOVAN 

arm. I caught the toe of his boot with some force 
just under mj'^ left cheek bone. I am glad I did not 
get the full value. I grabbed his leg, and, shoving 
it to one side, upset him. He was one of the most 
active, and I was glad to be rid of him for a mo- 
ment. But he never came back. He was afraid, 
for as soon as I had disposed of him and the chunky 
one, I caught the big fellow that was holding me 
from behind with a blow on the jaw from my elbow, 
which knocked him through the door into the street. 

''That was the signal for all to run. I was left 
alone with the proprietor and the chunky one, who 
was still under the table apparently knocked out. I 
was bewildered. I reminded myself of a wounded 
stag moose standing at bay, ready to fight to the 
death, fearing nobody and nothing. It seemed as 
if I had been cut, my stomach and bowels ached so. 
I had been kicked so many times I imagined that 
blood was running down my legs. 

''The proprietor came from behind his counter in 
the back of the shop, and, approaching me, said : 

" 'I beg your pardon, sir, I am so sorry. I don't 
know who those ruffians are.' 

"I knew the man was lying, so it did not take me 
long to knock him back over the counter among his 
pots and kettles with a good punch on the jaw. 
Then I went out for a policeman to arrest the 
chunky one, who was still under the table. He got 
away before my return. So I had no one to trace 
with. 



FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 169 

"When I got out on the pavement I put my hand 
to my stomach and legs to feel whether blood was 
trickling down. I could feel no moisture, so I was 
relieved. I had lumps all over my head, and my 
right ear was very much swollen and bleeding. My 
nose felt twice its natural size, but as long as I knew 
that I hadn't been cut I didn't mind a bruise or two. 
I discovered that I had lost my watch and money. 
Then, for the first time, I realized that they were 
after my valuables, and not fighting for the pure joy 
of licking a Yankee. 

"The loss of my watch really affected me very 
much because of the associations. It had been pre- 
sented by old and dear friends of mine : Dave Hen- 
nessey, Chief of Police of New Orleans; Pat Ken- 
drick, and many others of the same city — all good, 
tried and dear friends. In telling of my loss to two 
policeman, whom I found not so far distant from 
my fight, I could hardly hold back my tears. The 
bigger one of the two, an Englishman standing 
about six feet four inches, noticed this, and, think- 
ing that I was about to cry over the bruises I had 
received, remarked : 

'Oh, why cawn't you take care of yourself V 

'Stepping up to him, and pulling back my right 
hand, I replied : 

" Tf I hit you on the jaw you would change your 
mind about that.' 

"He stepped back, and his companion jumped in 
between us and said in Irish, 'Don't.' It was mighty 



it (i 



I70 MIKE DONOVAN 

fortunate for me that this policeman was an Irish- 
man, for it would have gone hard with me if I had 
been caught hitting a London Bobby. I replied in 
Gaelic: 'Nethe-hush/ which means *Keep still/ or 
'Stop/ 

'^Meeting a good Irishman, I began to feel bet- 
ter. I knew that wherever there was a real true 
Irishman fair play would be shown. This officer 
went with me to the police station to report my loss. 
On the way he told me that I was very lucky that I 
had not been stabbed or punched with knuckle- 
dusters (brass knuckles), for many London cabbies 
carried them. I felt as if they had used knuckle- 
dusters without a doubt. Bare knuckles could not 
have scalped me the way I was cut up. It was 
mighty lucky for me that I was able to duck and 
time the blows in the manner I did. Even at that I 
ducked into some. They were coming so fast and 
from every direction it was impossible to avoid 
them all. 

"On our return to the cabby shelter we found 
quite a crowd had gathered. The proprietor, stand- 
ing in the crowd, was wiping blood from his face. 
When he saw me he asked : 

Why did you 'it me?' 

'Because you keep a den of thieves,' I replied. 

'Hi ham a respectable man,' he answered, *and 
Hi never saw a blooming one of them afore.' 

"Well, I felt sorry for him, and, giving him the 
benefit of the doubt, I handed him two shillings and 






FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 171 

apologized. He took the money with his greedy- 
hand and was satisfied. I overheard him telling 
some of the bystanders there were seven men at me. 

" Who is he ?' some one asked. 

^' 'Hi don't know who the blooming fellow his. 
But he can 'it faster and 'arder than any one I ever 
seed afore.' 

"When asked for my name, I thought it best to 
hide my identity, as my friends at home might think 
I had been on a spree. I gave the name of Clifford, 
which was my mother's maiden name. 

"I returned to my hotel in Fleet Street. The next 
morning Billy Edwards and his son called upon me. 
They were much surprised and shocked to learn of 
my venture, and to see me in such a scarred condi- 
tion. That day Dr. Ordway and Ed. Hulskey, both 
of Boston, went with me to Scotland Yard, to see 
whether I could recover my watch. The detectives 
were not able to get any trace of it. 

"Much to my astonishment, that very night I got 
into another fight. At times it seems as if I were 
bewitched. I run into fights as easily and as often 
as a duck goes into the water. Yet they are not my 
fault. I don't like fights, and never seek them ; but 
how can one refuse to help a fellow who is beset 
with two men and one woman belaboring him with 
an umbrella? There they were hammering away 
for dear life, a regular battle royal. But I'm get- 
ting ahead of my story. 

"That evening I went to visit Ed. Hulskey, whg 



172 MIKE DONOVAN 

lived in a suburb of London, Hilton Heath, about 
seven miles out, a place made famous by the old- 
time road agent, Dick Turpin. After dark Willie 
Hulskey, Ed's son, and I took a walk. We were 
sauntering along, enjoying ourselves and not think- 
ing of trouble. We were walking through a dark 
hedge road, and all seemed peaceful. Suddenly 
from the opposite side came loud cursing and the 
sound of a scuffle. One man was bellowing for the 
poHce. In a jiffy I was in the midst of it. Two 
men and one woman were hammering away at one 
man, who was well dressed and who looked like a 
gentleman. I couldn't stand for that, so, picking 
out the larger of the two men, I sailed into him. 
It was hard for me to locate his jaw, as there was 
but little light. We mixed it in lively style, fighting 
out into the middle of the road. The Englishman 
could fight; he knew how to handle himself. Re- 
membering the rough deal I had received from 
seven Englishmen on the previous night helped a 
lot. Every blow I hit that fellow made me feel that 
I was getting somewhat even. At last I landed a 
peach on his jaw, and down he went with a crash. 
He wasn't knocked out, but was badly stunned. He 
grabbed me around the legs and yelled : 'Don't you 
kick meP 

'' T never kicked a man in my life,' I replied, 'but 
if you don't let go, I'll punch you again.' 

''He struggled to his feet, but was so groggy he 
didn't want any more of my game. While I was 



I 



FIGHT WITH THE LONDON CABBIES 173 

fighting the big one, the woman turned her attention 
to me. It was lucky for me that she hadn't a club, 
for the way she wielded that umbrella showed her 
to be an artist. She was also greatly accomplished 
in wagging the tongue. My, the billingsgate she 
hurled at me ! A crowd collected, and soon a Bobby 
came. Being a Yankee, I thought I might be ar- 
rested, but the gentleman whom I had saved spoke 
up: 

" ^Officer, this man has just saved me from a ter- 
rible beating from these blackguards and that wench 
there' — pointing his finger at her. Out came the 
billingsgate again. My, what an expert with the 
tongue! I listened with amusement, and I must 
confess with some admiration. I had never heard 
her equal. 

^Willie and I strolled home after the Bobby had 
scattered the crowd and sent the others about their 
business. I bound him over to secrecy, as I was a 
little ashamed, and felt that I could not convince my 
friend Ed that I was not looking for trouble. Ed 
found out about it somehow, and I had to explain. 
Later my little friend Willie wrote me that the man 
I had thrashed was the village bully, and that he 
was in disgrace. It seems that everybody was glad, 
and they took pleasure in pointing him out as th^ 
bully a Yankee fighter had beaten." 



CHAPTER XII 



PUPILS 



"If I were to name all my pupils, and all the 
stories I remember of them, a volume would be too 
small. To be intimately associated with the class of 
men I met in the New York Athletic Club was a 
great privilege and one for which I felt thankful. It 
seldom falls to the lot of a fighting man to have and 
hold the confidence and affection of such men as I 
count among my friends. The following names 
come to my memory just at this time; at another I 
would remember many others : 

"Alfred and Nestor de Goicouria, Jimmy Glad- 
win, Dick Halstead, Harry Buermeyer (the oldest 
athlete — in fact, the father of athletics in America, 
now about 75 years old), Herman Oelrichs, Judge 
Gildersleeve, Judge Truax, Judge Holmes, Hugh J. 
Grant, Dr. James E. Kelly, Charles Turner, E. A. 
Drake, Benny Williams, Harry Lyons, Charlie 
Knoblauch, Billy Murray, Harry Gunther and his 
son. Colonel Robert Thompson, Major Hugh S. 
Wise (grandson of the great Virginia Governor, 
who hung John Brown), Charlie Coster, Stuyve 
Wainright, Jimmy Motley, Allie Geer, Charlie 

174 






PUPILS 175 

Power, Archie Thomson, Ernie Thomson, Harry 
Talmadge, Arthur Moore, Westley Turner, Jimmy 
Brandt, Captain Joe FreHnghuysen, Walter Price, 
Dudley Winthrop, Fred Winthrop, W. H. Page, 
Jack Bouvier, Evert Wendell, Simeon Ford, Frank 
Dugro, Doctor Guiteras, Jerry Mahoney, Richmond 
Levermg, Allison P. Swan, Durando Miller, and 
last but not least Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. 

^'Looking back over my association with these 
men recalls to mind several anecdotes and occur- 
rences of more or less interest. I can only give place 
to a few. 



"Senator Chandler of Michigan played a good 
joke on Roscoe Conkling. It seems he and Conk- 
ling had a set-to after a certain dinner and Chandler 
was bested. Conkling was a great boxer. Shortly 
afterwards Chandler gave a dinner and invited the 
Senator. Toward the close of the dinner conversa- 
tion drifted on to boxing, and when the coffee and 
cigars had been finished a bout with the gloves was 
proposed. Some one suggested that Conkling and 
Mr. Smith, who was a guest at the dinner, but a 
newcomer among them, put on the gloves. Mr. 
Smith was not over-anxious, claiming it was absurd 
for him to box with a man of Senator Conkling's 
reputation, but after considerable urging he was in- 
duced to throw off his coat and put up his hands. 
Advancing with right foot and right hand forward, 



176 MIKE DONOVAN 

he met the attack of Mr. Conkling in a most awk- 
ward manner. Notwithstanding Smith's apparent 
awkwardness, ConkUng could not seem to land a 
telHng blow. All the attacks were either guarded in 
a clumsy manner, or just caused to graze the side of 
Smith's head. Work as he would, Conkling could 
not land to his satisfaction. 

"At the call of time the boxers took their seats, 
and Smith made as if to take off the gloves, but 
Senator Chandler urged him to try one more round, 
remarking on how much they were enjoying it. 
Conkling was anxious to continue, for he was con- 
siderably nettled to find that he could not put a 
glove on such an apparently ignorant boxer. 

"At the call Senator Conkling, quickly stepping 
to the center of the room, endeavored to catch 'Mr. 
Smith' off his guard, when to his utter astonishment 
he received a counter that shook him seriously. Be- 
fore him stood a man with hands in the most ap- 
proved position, alert and eager for the fray. Try 
as he would, he could not even touch his opponent. 
Every attempt only gave an opening to his expert 
opponent, which was quickly taken advantage of. 
Senator Conkling noticed, however, that the blows, 
although delivered quickly and cleanly, were losing 
force and viciousness. He felt like a baby in the 
hands of this expert. 

" *Who is this man ?' at last demanded the now 
thoroughly subdued Senator. Senator Chandler 
stepped forward and introduced the combatants: 



PUPILS 177 



<t <{ 



Senator Conkling, Mr. Jem Mace, champion 
heavyweight of the world/ 

"A round, hearty, full and vigorous laugh was on 
the Senator. 

"Conkling, who was a big and generous man, was 
large enough to take the joke. Grabbing Mace by 
the hand, he assured him that he was overjoyed to 
meet him. 

" 'I want to thank you for your exceedingly con- 
siderate and gentlemanly conduct toward me. You 
could have made it mighty unpleasant for me.' 

"Senator Conkling, in telling me of this incident, 
said that he and Mace that evening had several more 
rounds together, which were thoroughly enjoyed by 
all, including himself. 

"Senator Conkling was a powerful man. He told 
me of a walk he took one winter in Utica that was 
astonishing. Possibly the Senator has some Irish 
blood in his veins and worked a bit on his imagina- 
tion. It seems he was called on a case about seven- 
ty-five miles out of Utica. He was a very young 
lawyer at the time, and much impressed with the 
sense of duty. It was imperative for him to return 
to Utica the following day, as he was engaged on a 
case that opened in the Court House the day after, 
but he left Utica in a raging snowstorm. 

"He spent a day trying his case, and then made 
plans to hurry back to Utica. Try as he would, he 
couldn't succeed in obtaining a conveyance. The 
railroad was completely blocked. So the following 



178 MIKE DONOVAN 

morning he started on foot to walk the seventy-five 
miles. 

^'Leaving the village at a very early hour, he 
tramped all that day and all the night, but he 
reached the Utica Court House the next morning in 
time to try his case, and he won it 

'1 looked credulous and tried to believe him, but 
I must admit it was hard even with my lively Irish 
imagination. 

"However, later on in life he walked in the rag- 
ing blizzard of 1888, the worst ever known in this 
part of the country, from his office in Wall Street 
to the New York Club, a distance of about four 
miles. Few men at any age would have attempted 
it. It killed him, but not from exhaustion. He 
caught cold, and it settled in the mastoid gland, 
which proved fatal. He was a fine man. 

^^ ^y ^^p ^M ^i^ ^^ —If- 

"Doctor Raymond Guiteras was one of the most 
promising amateur boxers. He came into my acad- 
emy over the old Hay market one day in 1882. I 
had a good equipment for a sparring school — baths 
and lounging rooms — and many gentlemen took 
lessons. When Guiteras came to me I noticed he 
was a big young fellow, but his clothes were so 
tight and his Picadilly collar was so small, I mis- 
judged his size. He remarked that he had been 
recommended to come to me to finish his education 
in boxing. I learned that he had been taught by 



PUPILS 179 

Marcellus Baker and also by Patsy Sheppard, but 
he complained that they were small men. 

*'I thought that if Baker and Sheppard could not 
stand him off he must be a pretty good man. As he 
started to strip I noticed that the more clothes he 
took off the larger he got. It struck me that I 
would have to be clever with this chap. To see 
what he knew, I remarked that we would first box 
a round or two. I feinted a bit, and then drove my 
left to his body. As I did he uppercut me, and for- 
tunately I saw it coming. I was sparring cautiously. 
The blow caught me on the forehead. I had ducked 
it. If it had landed on my jaw or nose it would 
have been bad for me. However, it raised a good 
lump and caused me to remark : 

That's pretty good — very clever.' 
I sparred around a bit, giving myself time to re- 
cover somewhat. We had a lively set-to. Watch- 
ing him carefully, I noticed he lacked a good left- 
hand punch. 

"After about twelve lessons he mastered the use 
of his left hand, and I found many times, to my 
discomfort, that his punch was straight and hard. 

" 'Guiteras,' I said, *there is a young fellow in 
Boston by the name of John L. Sullivan. He is 
making a great noise there. If you are not afraid 
of him you can best him. You are more clever 
than he.' Shortly afterwards, Guiteras, being in 
Boston, got John Boyle O'Reilly to introduce him 
to Sullivan. O'Reilly was a friend of both men. 



if 



i8o MIKE DONOVAN 

They met one afternoon in the Cricket Club in 
Boston. 

''Sullivan had a way of chopping with his left, at 
the same time ducking his head. Guiteras, seeing 
a chance to uppercut him hard, warned him. 

" 'You go right ahead, young fellow; do the best 
you can,' replied Sullivan. 

"The next time John L. Sullivan attempted the 
chop and duck Guiteras landed an uppercut that 
shook Sullivan from head to foot. Sullivan came 
at Guiteras like a wild bull. I was told Guiteras 
knocked Sullivan down in this bout, but the doctor 
would never acknowledge it. John Boyle O'Reilly 
felt obliged to stop the bout. It was hot and heavy. 

^^ ^t^ ^^ ^^ ^t^ ^E^ ^r 

"Alfred de Goicouria was a very clever boxer 
and a hard hitter. I always enjoyed my bouts with 
him because I could open up and box more freely, 
giving blows and taking blows, for I knew he would 
never take advantage. He was most expert and 
knew how to gauge his blow. Edgar Murphy at 
one time arranged a bout between de Goicouria and 
Mr. Sartoris, son-in-law of General Grant. The 
affair took place in the barn of Murphy's father, 
then Senator from New York State. Sartoris was 
an able boxer and the rounds were hotly contested. 
Alfred got the decision. 

"One afternoon at the club I was sparring with 
a pupil, and, having finished just as Nestor de Goi- 



PUPILS 181 

Cotiria and Jimmie Gladwin came into the room, I 
offered to take them both on together. 

" 'Give me a minute's rest and I will lick you 
both.' 

''My offer was promptly accepted, and at it we 
went. 

"I meant it in fun, but soon it ceased to be a joke. 
They were both hard hitters, and they came at me 
in earnest. Moving around in lively fashion, I kept 
Gladwin in front of me, but lost track of Nestor, 
when suddenly I received a blow on the jaw from 
behind that nearly knocked me out. I quit. 

" 'No more of this for me. I can't lick both of 
you. I made a mistake.' 

I was glad to stop. 

'Nestor de Goicouria was a fine man. He con- 
tracted consumption, and died in the South a num- 
ber of years ago. 

^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ 

"Jimmy Gladwin was a powerful hitter, and a 
very scientific boxer. Although weighing only 140 
pounds, he could hit as hard as a heavyweight. It 
was hard work in a bout with him. He was always 
serious, and never loafed, but kept going all the 
time. Gladwin never side-stepped a fight. He was 
not looking for trouble, but when trouble came his 
way, Jimmy was there. 

"Being of medium size, he was taken for an easy 



4C 



i82 MIKE DONOVAN 

mark, but when the row started there was nothing 
to it but Gladwin. 

^V ^0 ^^ ^$0 ^^* ^fe ^fe 

'^CharHe Coster was a clever fighter and a very- 
hard hitter. He had as accurate and hard a left- 
hand punch as any amateur or professional ever 
had. He was a serious worker, and in boxing with 
him I was always on my guard. Many a fight I 
have had with Coster. When training for the six- 
round fight with Jack Dempsey, Charlie was of 
great service to me in helping me get ready for the 
bout. Stuyve Wainright and Jimmy Motley were 
also of great assistance. I called them my train- 
ers. I felt in boxing with Coster that if I could 
stand him off I need not fear Dempsey, and so it 
proved. 

'^One day, after my fight with Dempsey, when I 
was sparring with Coster at the club, I tried a shift 
which I had worked on Dempsey. When I had half 
executed the shift Charlie hit me with a straight 
left in the stomach, and down I went, rolling over 
on my hands and knees. I tried to get my breath. 
He had landed squarely on the solar plexus, and it 
was impossible for me to rise. He stood over me, 
counting me out. He counted fourteen before I 
could get to my feet. When I at last arose, I tore 
after him like a wildcat, and up and down the room 
we had it in hot fashion. I worked him into a 
corner, and dropped him with a blow on the jaw. 



PUPILS 183 

He arose in time, and as I had got even with him 
we stopped. Never before in all my fights had I 
experienced such a sensation. 

" *Mike, that was a pretty good make-believe 
knock-out.' 

" 'It was genuine. You got me that time/ I 
replied. 

"He knocked me down many a time, and so I did 
him, but I never knocked him out. One day he 
came to me and said : 
"* Where's that tooth?' 
What tooth?' I replied. 
Why, that tooth I knocked out.' 
Who told you you knocked out a tooth?' 



" 'You didn't' 

" 'I wouldn't give you the satisfaction,' I an- 



swered. 

"Coster and Allie Geer had many a rough go to- 
gether. They were great friends, and must have 
had Irish blood in their veins, for the harder they 
fought the closer seemed their friendship. 

"Stuyve Wainright was a wonderful boxer; 
square-shouldered and broad, he possessed a re- 
markably strong and straight left hand. He was 
always in condition and game as a pebble. A man 
of most gentle and quiet manner. I have often 
tliought what a surprise he would be to any man 
who picked him up for a soft mark. 

H( 3|c :|e 4c ^ 9|c 3fe 



i84 MIKE DONOVAN 

^'Jitnmy Motley was a lightweight, square-shoul- 
dered, and as solid as a block of wood ; very strong, 
and an exceedingly, hard hitter. He had a guard 
that was like iron. One day I was boxing with him, 
and leading with my left; I met his guard in such a 
way that it threw my muscle at the shoulder out of 
place. For many a day my left shoulder was very 
sore, and I remember I was quite worried over it. 
Coster and he were accustomed to come to the club 
on Sunday mornings and engage in some very 
rough bouts. 

"Dodie Schwegler was one of the hardest-hitting 
and most expert of my pupils. During the time he 
was boxing at the club we ran off club champion- 
ships. It was certainly a rough evening. Dodie 
won the middleweight and heavyweight contests 
that evening with ease. He entered the National 
Amateur Championships, which were held in New 
York that season, and, after winning the middle- 
weight contest, he tied with Kneip for the heavy- 
weight prize. This bout was to have been decided 
later, but it never took place. 

"Schwegler was a most expert and determined 
fighter and a credit to me. Speaking of Schwegler 
brings to mind men like Billie Hart, Billie Inglis, 
De Rivas, General McCoskry Butt, Edward Kear- 
ney, J. Coleman Drayton, Bob Edgren, Arnold 
Schramm, Dr. Nauen, Arthur Schroeder, Walter 
Schuyler, Sydney Smith, Ed. Smith, Stuart Wing, 






PUPILS 185 

Rex Beach, Frank Slazenger, Walter Thompson — 
all pupils of experience, and with a useful knowl- 
edge of how to handle the weapons of offense and 

defense which nature has provided. 

*F ^ ^ *F ^ 1* V 

"Harry Talmadge was a cousin of Charlie Cos- 
ter, and was a good boxer and fond of a mix-up. 
One day he and Coster came into the room with 
Charlie Power, a pupil of mine. They were all 
friends, but I could see something was in the air. 
'What are you going to do?' I asked. 
We are going to have a go, Mike,' said Coster. 
'You won't have any fight here,' I replied. 'Yes, 
we are going to have a fight, and a dinner is bet on 
it,' answered Coster ; and he added, 'I am to be the 
referee.' 

"I saw they were determined to have the bout, 
and I thought it had better be under my eye, so I 
agreed to let it go on if they would grant me the 
privilege of stopping it if I thought it went too far. 

"Talmadge and Power squared off, and the fight 
was on. To see them hammering each other so 
vigorously and in such a serious manner was indeed 
a sensation. There they were pounding each other 
with blows from all conceivable angles, and what 
for? A grudge? For glory? 

"No. For a dinner ! Well, boys will be boys. 

"So at it they continued. It was a rough go, and 
they were game fellows ; but at the end of the bout, 
Charlie Coster decided that his cousin Talmadge 



i86 MIKE DONOVAN 

had lost So the dinner was on him. They were 
both pretty well punished. 

^^We had no end of fun in the boxing room. I 
remember back in 1892 Simeon Ford came in and 
boxed often. He would tell me a funny story or 
make a laughable remark, which would so con- 
vulse me that he found me helpless to protect my- 
self from his vigorous assaults, and often he would 
come away the victor. Rather a foxy way of fight- 
ing — yes, what? 

"Mr. Ford and Mr. F. S. Church, the artist, used 
to box together very often. I would be the referee. 
I called Mr. Ford Jim Corbett, and Mr. Church 
John L. Mr. Church, being quite fleshy, wore a 
leather belt about eight inches wide for a support. 
We called it the championship belt. At the end of 
a year Mr. Church insisted upon cutting the belt 
in two lengthwise and giving half to Mr. Ford, for 
he said it wasn't fair — Ford had worked as hard as 
he and should share the honors. The belt wound 
around the slim form of his doughty opponent just 
three times. 

"Many members of the Stock Exchange were 
my pupils. Whenever a black eye appeared on the 
floor the fellows would say : 

" ^Hello, I see you have one of Mike's mouses.' 

'T was blamed for many a black eye that I did 
not hand out. Friends gave me a reputation for 



PUPILS 187 

being a slugger, but I was not. I considered myself 
as gentle as a lady. 

"Time and space would fail me to tell of all the 
incidents, both amusing and serious, that happened 
in the sparring room at the club — of bouts with 
Archie Thompson, and his brother Ernie, Allie 
Geer, Doctor Graeme Hammond, Doctor James E. 
Kelly, Dan Stern, Durando Miller, Jerry Mahoney, 
Lawrence McGuire, Tom McGuire and Charlie 
Knoblauch. Many of these men were most expert 
and finished amateur boxers — men that knew the 
game from start to finish, and could give and receive 
hard blows with equal good nature. 

"As I look back over my thirty years of associa- 
tion with the members of the New York Athletic 
Club, I can realize how fortunate was my lot in 
life. Never in the history of boxing has teacher 
brought out a more accomplished number of box- 
ers. Never had any teacher such an opportunity 
with such remarkable material. I have indeed been 
blessed. I speak this way because I believe spar- 
ring to be one of the cleanest and manliest of sports, 
tending to influence men in the way of sobriety and 
clean living. 

"One of the most remarkable boxers was William 
H. Page, a worthy president of the club. He 
started his career when a student at Harvard. At 
that time they were holding college contests, and it 
seems that Mr. Page entered the tournament dur^ 



i88 MIKE DONOVAN 

ing his first year. Those who saw it say it was a 
slaughter. I mean that Page was beaten up in 
royal fashion. The next year he entered again. As 
he appeared in the ring against the man who had 
given him such a terrible beating the year previous, 
all the students felt sorry for him. Page didn't 
waste any sorrow or regrets on himself, but set to 
work on his job. The way he polished off his oppo- 
nent was a sight to see. He wound up by knocking 
him out at the feet of his opponent's fiancee, who 
had been invited to see her knight proclaimed the 
victor of the joust. 

'The change in form was most astonishing. The 
secret came out later. Page had quietly spent his 
spare time in the intervening year amongst the 
scrappers of South Boston, punching and getting 
pimched, until he had the science of the game well 
hammered into him. He held the light and middle- 
weight championship of the university until he 
graduated. They say his blows were delivered with 
such power and frequency that he made the Har- 
vard crimson the color scheme of the ring. He was 
dubbed 'the butcher.' 

"Mr. Page came regularly into the boxing room 
for his exercise, and the opponent, whether he was 
expert, amateur or professional, of any weight, had 
a tough bout on his hands. 

*T have told so many times of my experiences 
with my distinguished pupil. Colonel Theodore 
Roosevelt, and they have been written up so often 



PUPILS 189 

that I hesitate to repeat them here. One story in 
my long association with the Colonel, however, will 
bear repeating. It 'was so amusing and so charac- 
teristic. Of all the many bouts I had with the 
Colonel as Governor in Albany and as President in 
Washington, this stands out as most interesting and 
I know" will be enjoyed in the repeating. 

'*I was called to Washington to give the President 
a go with the gloves. On my arrival I was ushered 
into the Library, where the head of our nation was 
deeply immersed in papers. 

" 'Hello, Mike ! Delighted to see you.' My 
hand was heartily wrung, and, with a punch on the 
shoulder, the Colonel immediately put me at ease. 
I knew him well as private citizen and as Governor, 
but how he would be as head of the most wonderful 
nation on the earth I didn't know. That punch en- 
lightened me. I saw him immediately as the un- 
changed, unaffected, kind-hearted and wholesome 
human being that he had always been. 

"He was in wonderful physical condition. Or- 
dering the desk and furniture removed to one side, 
he left the room to don his boxing togs. I did the 
same. On our return, I saw by his manner and his 
snapping eyes that I was in for a tough bout. At 
it we went. The Colonel, being near-sighted with- 
out his glasses, boxed in close to his opponent. He 
cannot be denied. He is after you like a John L. 
Sullivan. Close fighting for him and rough work is 
to his liking. 



IQO MIKE DONOVAN 

"While we were in the midst of the bout, a dele- 
gation from Texas was announced. At the com- 
mand of the President they were ushered in, and 
after we had all shaken hands — the President and I 
with our gloves still on — they were requested to 
range themselves along the wall till after the bout. 

"Biff, bang, guard, duck, clinch and side-step 
over the library floor the noble President and I 
cavorted. Knowing how well the President was 
beloved by the people of the South, I must confess 
I kept one eye on those gentlemen from Texas. If 
any one of them had made a suspicious move of the 
hand toward his hip pocket I should have ignomini- 
ously fled through the most convenient door. All 
went well, although for my own protection I could 
not afford to let up on the President. He is tough 
at mixing. 

"Again a delegation was announced. This time 
it was a committee of Methodist ministers. I 
thought, surely, that would end our little affair. 
Not at all. 

" 'Show them in,' said the President; and in 
walked as sedate and demure and respectable a set 
of sky-pilots as eye had ever seen. 

"Again the introduction and handshakings were 
performed. 

" 'Now, gentlemen,' said our President, 'if youl 
will line up on this opposite wall we will give you' 
an exhibition of the manly art' 

"Many battles in my life have I fought, at times] 



PUPILS 191 

in the fields at dawn of day surrounded by the 
toughest element of the country, fighting with the 
bare knuckles to a finish for a purse not much 
larger than the stipend granted me for my journey 
to Washington, at other times on the stage of some 
noted hall with an admixture of gentility amongst 
the spectators — but of all the bouts in which I have 
ever contested the queerest set of spectators com- 
prised this notable gathering. 

'*The presence of the ministers quieted my fears 
of the Texas contingent. I felt that they would, at 
least, respect the cloth and curb any desire to resent 
an injury to their chief. 

"As the bout progressed, it was amusing to see 
the sporting blood of the ministers come snapping 
to their eyes. I thought before we had ended the 
rounds that I should be compelled to accept the 
challenge of one or two of the most active. 

"Owing to the tact and graceful management of 
the President, the affair ended peacefully, and all 
thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I had the time of 
my Hfe." 



CHAPTER XIII 

WORDS OF ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 

/When men reach the period of three score 
years and ten they take much dehght in ventilating 
their particular hobby. Health has been my hobby, 
and as I attained this age of man with a superabun- 
dance of good health I feel somewhat qualified to 
give a few hints on daily living. Space will prevent 
my going into lengthy detail. 

''Of course, my duties as instructor of boxing at 
the New York Athletic Club were a great incentive 
for me to keep in the best of condition. In fact, I 
could not have done otherwise and retained my po- 
sition, for among my pupils were some of the hard- 
est-hitting amateur boxers in the country, many of 
them being mdst expert with the gloves. I wouldn't 
have lasted long had my condition been poor. 

'*The first thing I should caution against is over- 
eating, and, unless exercising most vigorously, sugar 
had better be sparingly taken. The principal causes 
of poor physical condition are too little sleep or 
rest, too much alcohol, too much tobacco, not 
enough water, improper food, insufficient mastica- 
tion, and lack of exercise and fresh air. 

19^ 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 193 

''One must never forget that it is health that con- 
quers disease. Medicine may, at times, assist health 
to regain control, but our faith should be pinned on 
health and not on medicine. Keep healthy in mind 
and body and few germs will ever bother. Common 
sense, care and will power will help a lot. 

"With regard to overeating one cannot be too 
careful. Of course a sufficient amount of food 
must be taken, but as man advances in years he 
will find that he can exist and be well on a surpris- 
ingly small amount of food — especially if the selec- 
tion be wisely made. 

''Personal tastes and convenience must be con- 
sulted with regard to the time of the various meals. 
Some will find it best to eat only fruit for break- 
fast, or even to subsist on water up to noontime. 
Others will prefer to eat lightly at evening and 
heartily at breakfast. Still others may find it bet- 
ter for their health and convenience to make the 
noon meal the hearty one. In using the term 
'hearty' I do not mean in the sense of a large quan- 
tity of food consumed, but a larger amount than at 
other meals. If food be thoroughly masticated and 
swallowed without drinking, the stomach will stand 
in little danger of becoming overloaded. Drinking 
of water should be done, say, an hour before meals 
and an hour after; little, if any, should be taken 
while eating. An hour before breakfast is prob- 
ably the best time to give the system a thorough 
internal bath. 



194 MIKE DONOVAN 

"The value of food is in building bone and tissue. 
Food does not give strength ; rest gives strength. 

"Before leaving the subject of drinking water I 
would suggest that at least three quarts a day- 
should be drunk. If one be awake an hour before 
breakfast it would be well to have a pitcher, holding 
about six or eight glasses, by his side, and every 
little while take a mouthful until the pitcher is 
emptied. Water should not be gulped down in 
large quantities. 

"Speaking of drinking, I wish to caution against 
alcoholic drinks. They are rank poison. Our 
stomachs generate all the alcohol that is necessary 
for the body. Every one carries his own distillery 
around with him. Then why put in an extra dose 
and so upset nature's calculations ? 

"Alcohol and sugar are two necessary things for 
the human economy. But these are abundantly pro- 
vided in the ordinary food we eat. Fruits con- 
tain all the sugar needed for good health. If a man 
is to endure extreme exertion he can burn up a lot 
of sugar. Lumps of sugar can be taken under these 
conditions, and the sugar will have a sustaining ef- 
fect. If soldiers on a long march or under great 
strain were to have lumps of sugar provided them 
it would do them good, and enable them to with- 
stand the fatigue much more easily. Not many peo- 
ple know this, but it is true. 

"Sugar or sweets in the shape of candy, pastry 
or cake is really injurious, and unless one takes vio- 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 195 

lent exercise, it will be difficult for the system to rid 
itself of the poison. It is reported of the negroes 
working on the sugar plantations of the South that 
they are fine specimens of humanity — large, power- 
ful, and with beautiful teeth; yet their main article 
of diet is the sugar cane. Sugar in that form is not 
injurious, and, especially, if one exercises sufficient- 
ly. The system burns up waste tissue when under 
physical strain, and when the waste tissue is con- 
sumed then it attacks the good tissue. That is the 
reason a man in a four-mile rowing race will leave 
the boat from four to five or even to seven pounds 
lighter than when he started. If he had eaten a few 
lumps of sugar just before going into the boat, the 
heat generated by his efforts would have consumed 
the carbon or sugar in his stomach before attacking 
the good tissue of the body, and would have saved 
him from that feeling of utter exhaustion. 

"This is also true of a man entering a gruelling 
contest with the gloves. Enter the ring with the 
stomach quite empty, but just before the bout eat 
two lumps of cane sugar — not beet sugar. The 
cane sugar is always rough in the lump, the beet 
sugar is smooth. There may be some smooth cane 
sugar, but this is a safe distinction. 

"Brandy was formerly given to men in the ring, 
but of late years alcoholic drinks are never thought 
of. The modern fighter is too well informed of the 
disastrous effects of this poison to use it under any 
circumstances. The most prominent fighters of the 



196 MIKE DONOVAN 

present day never touch alcoholic drinks in any 
form, not even beer. Alcohol is a narcotic, not a 
stimulant. This has only recently been discovered. 
Alcohol consumes the heat of the body ; it does not 
give warmth. These statements appear contrary to 
our experience, but nevertheless they are true. 

"The story is told of three men passing the night 
in a deserted hut, in which they had sought shelter 
from a blizzard while crossing a mountain range. 
One drank freely of whiskey before going to sleep, 
another took sparingly, and the third took none. In 
the morning the third man found it difficult to 
rouse his friend who drank but little, as he was 
nearly frozen to death. The first man who drank 
the quantity was dead. So we see we cannot always 
judge by appearances. The man who drank freely 
went to sleep quickly, as he seemed warm and com- 
fortable; the man who abstained suffered quite a 
bit before sleeping, but when he slept, the natural 
heat of the body was retained, and was not affected 
by the alcohol. 

"As for its stimulating effect, the strongest proof 
that it has only the appearance of stimulating is the 
experience of the soldiers in this European war. 
All the warring nations have either curtailed or 
aboHshed alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is a blessing 
to man, but only as it is naturally generated in the 
stomach by the human machine. Distilled by man, 
it has proved a most awful curse to the race. It is 
concentrated wretchedness, lust and hell, and should 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 197 

be thrown out of the country. I am no reformer, 
moralist or religious crank, but from the point of 
view of physical and mental health, alcoholic drinks 
should be abolished. 

''When men stop drinking they feel as though 
they were doing the unusual, as if they were deny- 
ing themselves. Why not look at it the other way 
about : they that drink are doing that which is poi- 
soning their systems and giving them a distorted 
and untrue view of life, and is injurious to their 
health. As to smoking — a man in training should 
do none of it. It would be better physically for a 
man if he never smoked. However, if he has ac- 
quired the habit, a pipe is the least harmful. Cig- 
arettes are bad because they are inhaled. Cigars 
should be taken in moderation, if at all. Tobacco 
injures the heart, nerves and stomach. 

"I speak so decidedly about drink and tobacco, 
not so much to try to influence the man as to help 
the youth in forming good habits. It is hard to 
teach an old dog new tricks. It is difficult to get a 
man to change his method of living ; his habits are 
formed. But the lad should know from those that 
have gone through the experience that certain 
things are well to avoid, and can be easily passed 
by when they have not become a habit. Why en- 
deavor to form those habits when it is just as easy 
to save a lot of trouble and possible failure and dis- 
aster in life by not flirting with such wretched prac- 
tices that can never bless but only curse? It isn't 



198 MIKE DONOVAN 

brave, it isn't manly, to drink and smoke cigarettes. 
Some of the most prominent sporting men and 
cleverest gamblers never touch alcoholic drinks. 
They are too canny. Fighting men never drink now. 

"So, my good lad, just starting on the pathway of 
life, don't permit some poorly informed and mis- 
guided acquaintance to fasten upon your thought 
any silly ideas that drinking and smoking are the 
distinguishing marks of a brave and powerful man, 
for they are not. 

''Now with regard to sleep. This is something 
that is more or less individual. However, I am in- 
clined to differ with a few prominent authorities, 
notably Mr. Edison. He says four or five hours' 
sleep in the twenty-four are sufficient. I say at 
least eight, and I prefer ten. It seems to me reason- 
able to take at least eight hours' sleep, as the body 
is storing up nervous energy when in sleep. Sleep 
gives nervous strength. Food does not give 
strengtli ; food merely supplies lost tissue. So give 
me sleep. I could not have been in good condition 
unless I obtained my ten hours of rest. I did not 
sleep the whole ten hours, but I lay and rested, and 
after an hour or two of rest, I always slept soundly 
the remainder of my time in bed, say ten hours. I 
attribute to my ten hours of rest the ability I pos- 
sessed to step lively and box fast. To rest and to 
the good care and advice of my old friend and 
physician. Dr. James E. Kelly, many years of my 
life were due. 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 199 

"With regard to exercise, a great deal can be 
said. Much that is written and taught is not worth 
much. It is well to have muscle, but not too much. 
One should never work just to accumulate large 
muscles. They are apt to sap the vitality. If one 
has cultivated a large muscular development it will 
be best to see that each day, or at least three times a 
week, the body is well exercised — especially in the 
open air. My experience is that the men of tremen- 
dous muscles are awkward and slow. A young man 
or lad starting his athletic career will do well to 
let that special athletic activity develop the neces- 
sary muscle. Possibly a little outside work or gym 
work may help, but not to excess. Five minutes a 
day, or at the most ten a day, can be devoted to 
muscle-building exercise. That will be sufficient. 

*'To men of middle age I should advise caution in 
methods of exercise. Remember that you are no 
longer a youth, and cannot jump into violent exer- 
tion with safety. If, after years of inactivity, it 
should occur to you that you ought to exercise be- 
cause you may not feel in good condition, be care- 
ful how you commence again. Take everything 
moderately, and for a short time, gradually getting 
your heart and lungs into the proper condition for 
receiving the increased and rapid flow of blood. 

*Tt is best for a man never to cease his customary 
and natural exercise. Treat yourself in this re- 
spect as considerately as you do in eating. You 
would not go without food for a number of years; 



200 MIKE DONOVAN 

neither should you deprive yourself of exercise for 
that length of time. We must never forget that a 
larger percentage of the impurities of the body pass 
through the lungs and the pores of the flesh than 
pass through the bowels. If one does not have a 
movement of the bowels every day he becomes anx- 
ious. But if he does not have a sweat or an oppor- 
tunity to breathe freely of good fresh air he thinks 
nothing of it. The sweat and the fresh air are 
more necessary to health than the daily movement 
of the bowels. 

''If one exercises strenuously and sweats freely 
he will find the bowels will not move as frequently 
or copiously ; for the reason that considerable refuse 
has been passed off through the lungs and the pores 
of the skin. 

"There are many systems of exercises now being 
taught by mail. Some are good, some poor, and 
others positively injurious. Those exercises that 
over-develop the muscles or the lungs are not good 
for the average man. The exercises that cause good 
fresh blood to flow through the veins, carrying away 
the impurities of the body without the idea of over- 
developing, are beneficial. 

''There is also another point to be considered. 
When men advance in years, they lose the power of 
coordination of brain and muscle. Their muscles 
do not respond quickly to either their conscious or 
subconscious mind. This is entirely due to their 
lack of practice. If men were to continue boxing. 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 201 

or fencing, or wrestling, or tennis, or baseball, or 
any other sport which requires quick action, they 
would never lose their power of coordination. 
Many times in later life it will be found most nec- 
essary that the muscles should quickly respond to 
the desire of the brain. 

"A friend of mine told me that because he had 
boxed all his life he was saved from a broken neck. 
It seems that he was in a railroad accident, and as 
he was being whirled down the aisle of the chair 
car, he found himself rushing toward one of the 
heavy chairs. He was on his hands and knees, but 
could not get up. His head was carried in such a 
position that he would have struck the chair with 
his forehead. If . the blow had been received 
squarely, his neck would have been broken. Just 
as he was about to strike the chair, he ducked as I 
had taught him to, pulling the chin down and to 
the side; the chair hit him a glancing blow, merely 
scraping the skin from the base of the nose. Only 
the quick response of the muscle to the brain saved 
his life. Another friend expressed this idea of the 
action of the muscles as ^spiritualizing the muscles.' 
I thought the expression was excellent. Muscles 
must be spiritualized. They must be brought into 
the realm of mind. Only through practice can this 
be done. Many accidents to the middle-aged and 
the older persons could be avoided if some sport 
were followed moderately all the days of their lives. 

"Boxing, of course, would be my choice, and I 



202 MIKE DONOVAN 

think I have named the one sport that comprehends 
all bodily activity and is the most useful. The co- 
ordination of brain and muscle must be constant 
and instantaneous in a lively bout with the gloves. 
The movements are often complex: leading, duck- 
ing, guarding and footwork are frequently em- 
ployed at the same moment. Two friends, under- 
standing each other, can have a most enjoyable and 
beneficial exercise if they know the art of self- 
defense. 

"Every one — man, woman and child — should 
know how to use scientifically the weapons of of- 
fense and defense which nature has given us. If 
one knew well the fundamentals of boxing, any 
disagreeable chance blow would be far outweighed 
by the benefit and enjoyment one would experience. 
Hitting, guarding, ducking and footwork, being the 
fundamentals of boxing, should be most carefully 
studied. Learn these and boxing becomes a won- 
derfully enjoyable pastime. It may prove very use- 
ful in an emergency and might, at times, save life. 
It is a clean sport and a manly sport. It bespeaks 
fairness to the opponent. 

"If one does not wish to box or has not the time 
and opportunity, it will be possible to derive much 
of the benefit, both physical and mental, if shadow 
sparring be done. Shadow sparring is boxing with 
an imaginary opponent. It is often done in front 
of a mirror. Boxers training for a contest do a lot 
of it. It accustoms the muscles to answer quickly 



ADVICE ON METHODS OF LIVING 203 

the commands of the brain. In the words of my 
friend, it helps to 'spiritualize the muscles.' If one 
will learn how to hit, guard, duck and employ foot- 
work scientifically one can become a proficient boxer 
by shadow-sparring in his own room and occasion- 
ally, if the opportunity presents, boxing with an op- 
ponent. Every one should know this art, for it is 
the king of all sports. One knowing it is better 
qualified to enter any sport. To be an expert boxer 
is to insure confidence in one's self and also to com- 
mand respect from others. 

"The manly art of self-defense must not be mis- 
construed into the idea that it is the unmanly art of 
making one's self oflFensive. Kind words and a 
kindly thought are often more effective than fists 
or weapons. Fighting men, like the bulldog, are 
generally good-natured. A good boxer who is a 
thoroughbred seldom resorts to fists. If it be nec- 
essary to defend or punish, he will not do more 
than is absolutely necessary. I have seen and known 
of professional fighting men running away from a 
street scrap. It doesn't appeal to them to beat up a 
poor defenseless individual, as are most of the men 
one meets in the street. As a rule, the more a man 
wants to fight in the street or in a public place the 
less he is apt to know about the game of fighting. 
A good stiff left-hand jab on the nose generally 
takes all the fight out of the most noisy. If that 
does not suffice, a right-hand swing to the point of 
the jaw will make them so tame they will eat out 



204 MIKE DONOVAN 

of your hand after they have regained conscious- 
ness. This blow on the jaw is a dangerous one if 
deHvered in the street, as the victim's head is gen- 
erally the first part of his body to strike the ground. 
If the head strike the stone pavement a fractured 
skull may be the result. So unless it be absolutely 
necessary it will be best to use the jab for the nose 
only. 

"In this chapter I have given but a brief outline 
of my ideas on health and healthful pursuits. It 
was not my intention to elaborate. 

"The five essentials for the preservation of hu- 
man life are: Air, water, sleep, food and exercise. 
These are important in order named. The habits 
of the body should be formed so that these five es- 
sentials are given their proper value." 



CHAPTER XIV 

INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 

At the old clubhouse of the N. Y. A. C, on 
Fifty-fifth Street and Sixth Avenue, Professor 
Donovan on Ladies' Day would often given exhi- 
bitions of boxing. For these occasions he would 
select to go on with him a pupil who could make an 
interesting contest The crowds of beautiful women 
arrayed in the fashion of the day made a most 
charming sight as they sat around the ringside. 
There were no ropes. The boundary of the ring 
was formed by the laps of the women. 

At the appearance of the handsome form of the 
popular Professor round after round of applause 
was delightedly given. Mike always received the 
compliment in a dignified manner. It was an agree- 
able sight to see him standing in the center of such 
a group of society women and being received in, 
such a royal way. It was not only a tribute to the 
popular Professor, but was also a compliment tQ 
the manly art of boxing. 

On one of these memorable occasions the ProN 
fessor had invited a vigorous young pupil to be on 
the receiving end of the bout. The youngster was 

205 



2o6 MIKE DONOVAN 

much impressed with his first public appearance, and 
asked the Professor how to conduct himself. He 
hardly knew whether his work was expected to be 
rough or mild. Mike told him to cut out the pace 
and he would follow. 

On entering the ring, the inexperienced one was 
so overcome with the attractiveness of the scene that 
he determined to put up the best that was in him. 
After the ceremonious handshake in the center of 
the ring the two boxers retired to their comers, as 
is the custom of the game. Mike had gracefully 
sauntered over to his corner, and at the call of 
time he turned around to step to the center of the 
ring when, to his amazement, he was met by his 
young pupil, who had rushed over to his corner and 
in a crazy, wild-eyed fashion commenced to slug 
away for dear life. Donovan was in a corner. 
The space was too limited to side-step. He didn't 
care to smash his opponent too hard, and before 
he could clinch, the impetus of the attack threw him 
over into a lady's lap. There he sat for an instant 
too astonished to move. 

Peals of laughter arose at the evident embarrass- 
ment of Mike. The pupil withdrew in consterna- 
tion at the result of his over-anxiety to make the 
bout lively from start to finish. He sav/ now his 
mistake, and he also realized that he was in for 
rough handling, as the Professor, bounding from the 
lap of the fair one, approached his victim with no 
gentle look in his fierce gray eyes. The youngster 



i 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 207 

stood up to the gaff in good shape, for he realized 
that he deserved all that was coming to him. And 
it came. From all the angles known to fistiana it 
came. What that young man didn't have done to 
him wasn't worth mentioning. He fought back as 
best he could, but against that human cyclone his 
efforts were feeble. After the first round Mike 
saw that it was all a mistake, so he cooled down, 
and then the bout proceeded at a normal pace. 

In Mike Donovan's early fights the contestants 
did not wear any gloves. Blows were delivered in 
a quick, jabbing manner, and the main object of at- 
tack was the eyes. To close them with repeated 
blows marked the commencement of the end. From 
this method of fighting many scars were given. 
Mike had more than his share. Scars as if they 
were cuts from a knife could be seen on the vet- 
eran's brow. Mike always received as many of 
these jabs as he possibly could on the forehead for 
two reasons: to save his eyes and to try to break 
his opponent's knuckles with the hard frontal bone. 

The custom of the ring gradually changed from 
not using any gloves to driving gloves, then to one 
ounce and a half to two ounce gloves, and now, in 
these effete days of soft living, they wear five and 
six ounce gloves. They accumulate no scars now. 

Some noted wag has said, in contrasting these 
times, with regard to the customs of the ring, with 



2o8 MIKE DONOVAN 

the times of yore, that the fighters then after a 
battle retired to their homes — if they were lucky 
enough to have any — and took to their beds for two 
or three weeks to recuperate from their injuries, but 
now after a fight they put on their evening clothes 
and go out to receptions held in their^honor. Then 
they received a few hundred dollars — that is the 
winner did, but the loser nothing — now they won't 
step into the ring without being guaranteed thou- 
sands, win or lose. 

♦ * J^ He 4c * * 

Mike Donovan was nothing if not optimistic. In 
the midst of great discouragement and disaster, if 
he but see one ray of light, one indication on which 
he could pin his hope and faith, his good stout heart 
immediately beat the braver and his grasp on the 
prize to him appeared certain. The goddess of vic- 
tory found it difficult to elude his embrace if she 
but gave him a faint smile of encouragement. 

McClellan, who greatly admired his friend Dono- 
van, told of an incident in their fight on the coast 
which well illustrates this characteristic. 

After Mike had been thrown by him on the 
boards of the stage for fifty-three rounds, every 
round ending with Mike flat on his back, Mac was 
getting ready to throw him in the fifty-fourth 
round, and not being able to grasp him as firmly 
as desired, he rubbed his hands on his breeches. 
Mike was leaning on the ropes almost done for, but 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 209 

seeing McClellan in his unguarded position, he sud- 
denly sprang upon him and threw him. 

^Tve got you now, Mac," yelled Mike in McClel- 
lan's ear. How could a man of such remarkable 
optimism suffer defeat? 

:): sfc :4c ^ :)c :)c :)s 

In Speaking of his last fight with McClellan, Mike 
said: 

"It was a sad affair. It should never have taken 
place. Some sports and gossips who hung around 
the Hoffman House barroom were accountable for 
that meeting. They were tale bearers and trouble 
brewers. They thought it would be good sport to 
see us in the ring again, and they at last brought us 
together. 

"We met in the Eighth Street Theater. McClel- 
lan was then boxing instructor at Wood's Gym- 
nasium and I was at the New York Athletic Club. 
I offered to give Mac one hundred dollars if I could 
not stop him in four rounds, and he was to receive 
nothing if I succeeded. 

"Poor Mac wasn't in it from the start. After 
hitting him in the stomach a few times, I planted 
my right on his jaw, and it was all over in twenty- 
eight seconds. Denny Butler, my brother-in-law, 
threw a bucket of water over Mac to revive him, 
and they took him to his dressing-room in bad 
shape. 

"I followed and taking Mac by the hand, I said : 
'Mac, my boy, we should never have fought again. 



2IO MIKE DONOVAN 

It was brought about by a lot of gossips/ " (It was 
told by a man who was in McClellan's room and 
saw it, that Mike pressed one hundred and twenty- 
five dollars into Mac's hand. That amount of 
money to Mike at that time, with his large family, 
was considerable. McClellan appreciated the kind- 
ness for according to the written and signed agree- 
ment he was to receive nothing in case he was 
stopped inside of four rounds. This fight was a 
notable event in local sporting circles, and was well 
attended by the sporting element, and also by club- 
men.) 

To see the Professor in the bosom of his family 
was a sight good to behold — with one of the chil- 
dren at the piano accompanying the combined 
efforts of the family in singing the favorite old 
Irish melodies, such as "The Wearing of the Green" 
or ''Mother McCrea." 

Beloved by his obedient children, his life within 
the family circle retained a charm that all the rough, 
ring experiences and evil environment of his early 
days could never mar. Grandchildren came to bless 
the declining years of the Professor. The love Mike 
bestowed upon his children and his grandchildren 
revealed his affectionate heart. Although, as he once 
said, he was a ''hell of a rough skate," through the 
influence of his good wife he developed into a man 
of dignity and gentle courtesy. Mrs. Donovan 
proved an ideal wife and a wise and loving mother. 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 211 

The one great puzzle of Mike's life was how his 
good wife ever lost her heart to him. Time and 
again, in his simple manner, he asked her this ques- 
tion and always came back the artless answer: *'It 
must have been your eyes, my dear/' 

An early grave would have been the portion of 
the brave fighter were it not for the motherly care 
and protection and wisdom with which Mrs. Dono- 
van guarded her well-beloved. Wild as an Irish 
hare, it required great tact and patience to control 
such activities. Innocent of the ways of the world, 
her pure heart kept her dearest ever constant and 
true. In all the wanderings and changes of his 
sporting career the thought of his patient, loving 
and pure wife at home always ruled and protected 
Mike and kept him also pure. 

In listening to the tale of the many battles of the 
Professor's strenuous career, the poor scribe has 
been forced numerous times to stand up and be 
illustrated upon. The whacks and thumps that have 
been administered to his unfortunate and long-suf- 
fering anatomy have been numberless. 

Mike was nothing if not enthusiastic. With 
bright and flashing eye and cheeks red with excited 
blood he would make it very plain to the writer of 
this narrative how Sullivan, for instance, would 
knock a man down and practically out, not by a 
blow on the jaw or behind the ear, but by a tremen- 
dous impact of the forearm with the neck; and 
crash would come that stout forearm of the Pro- 



212 MIKE DONOVAN 

fessor on the poor unoffending neck of his faithful 
Boswell. 

'*You see," would say Mike, ''that's the way Sul- 
livan would land that blow.'' 

"Yes, I see," would be the reply, and then would 
be added: "How interesting," or "fancy!" "real- 
ly!" "my word!" or some other expression that 
happened to come to the poor shattered brain. 

The Professor was not more sparing on himself. 
Completely lost in the enthusiasm of his recital, he 
would illustrate how, for instance, when he knocked 
McClellan through the ropes in California Mac fell 
on his face with head hanging over the lowest rope; 
dancing around, he suddenly dove forward onto a 
wooden railing, giving his head a glorious bump; 
he merely rubbed it a bit and continued with his 
narrative, not in the least noticing the injury, which 
was visibly swelling into quite a respectable lump. 

It was delightful to see the boyish enthusiasm, the 
darting eye, the excited manner of the old warrior 
as he recalled the long forgotten incidents of his 
many fights. 

In listening to the reading of the chapters of this 
book as they were completed, the Professor was a 
most flattering audience. As the memories flashed 
through his active brain nervous twitchings of the 
face and hands, and clenching of the fists, would 
indicate his evident enjoyment. 



(( 



My meeting with Jack Dempsey," he said, "was 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 213 

brought about by the gossips of the Hoffman House 
barroom. My name was brought up in Dempsey's 
presence after an exhibition I had sparred with him, 
a Hght-tapping, good-natured affair, and some one 
expressed the opinion I could best him. 

''Jack was then not only the middleweight cham- 
pion but was called 'the 'Nonpareil.' He couldn't 
stand for that so he came back with some disparag- 
ing remark, and then the fat was in the fire. Of 
course his remark was repeated to me. I got mad 
and asked Eugene Comisky, a friend of mine, who 
was sporting writer on the Evening Telegram, to 
hunt up Dempsey and see if he could get him to 
make a statement that he could best me, and get 
his permission to print it. He managed it and the 
next day I sent papers to Dempsey by Denny Butler, 
challenging him to fight me six rounds at my benefit. 
I was to give him sixty-five per cent., win, lose or 
draw. 

"Butler went to Dempsey's saloon near Fulton 
Market and got his signature. I was glad to have 
this bout with Dempsey, for I knew it would be a 
big drawing card at my benefit. It has been re- 
ported that Dempsey did not train for that fight; 
I know he went into training quarters at Far Rock- 
away, and was there for a number of days. So 
he must have done something toward training. I 
used to get up in the mornings and walk around the 
reservoir in the Park. I also gave boxing lessons to 
my pupils at the club in the afternoons. Two weeks 



214 MIKE DONOVAN 

before the bout I laid off from my boxing duties, 
so I did not have such strenuous time at training, 

'Thinking I would get a bigger crowd, I hired a 
hall in Williamsburg where Dempsey lived. The 
place was packed. 

''Many of my friends thought I was foolish to 
make this match. Mr. Inglis, who was then on the 
World and a member of the club (N. Y. A. C.) 
met me one day in front of the Herald office, Broad- 
way and Ann Street, and told me that if I got bested 
I might lose my job at the club. He felt that I was 
taking on too big a contract. I laughed at him and 
told him he needn't worry ; I might not beat Demp- 
sey, but that Jack couldn't best me. Mr. Inglis 
left me feeling better. 

"It was a great meeting. I set the pace for 
Dempsey all the way. He was backing all aroimd 
the ring. Round after round I out-pointed him, 
and toward the end I knocked out one of his teeth. 
The body punches I gave him made him sick. I 
had much the best of the bout. 

"Billy O'Brien, the referee, called it a draw. He 
said afterwards he did not want to take away a 
Champion's reputation in a six-roimd bout. Pat 
Sheedy, the sporting man, a good judge of boxing, 
told me just after the bout that I had never fought 
better in my life. He had seen me in many a fight. 
He said that it was my fight, all right." 

[Billy Inglis, who was in Mike's dressing-room 
after the bout, said the first thing Mike did was to 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 215 

call for a telegraph blank and wire Mrs. Donovan : 
''Dear Celia, won easy, (signed) Mike." 

As Mike was being rubbed down, Jack Dempsey 
burst into the room. He still had the gloves on, and 
rushing up to Mike, he grasped him by the hand and 
begged him for another match. 

*'You must give me another chance, Mike," 
begged Dempsey, and tears were in his eyes. 

It must be admitted that it was a pretty hard 
thing for Dempsey to feel that he had been bested 
by a man who was twelve years out of the ring. 
He was not only middleweight champion but was 
considered unbeatable. This defeat started Demp- 
sey drinking, and after he lost to Fitzsimmons, his 
health gave way and he died.] 

^^ ^^ «i^* ^ff ^fe ^f ^K 

"One of my early fights," said Mike, ''stands out 
in my memory very clearly — the fight I had with 
John Boyne. He was a seasoned fighter, and I was 
but a lad. He was a heavyweight and I, what is 
known now as a welterweight. It was a fright- 
fully cold day in January. The fight took place on 
a farm outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. 

"As we plowed through the snow, breasting the 
bitter cold wind that was blowing a gale across the 
open country, it chilled us all to the bone. In the 
farmhouse I hugged the fire and tried my best to 
thaw out. My seconds thoughtfully warmed two 
bricks so that I might place my feet on them when 



2i6 MIKE DONOVAN 

I was resting between rounds. The ring was pitched 
between haystacks to break the terrible force of the] 
gale. 

"Stripped to the waist, we toed the scratch at the! 
call of time. Boyne looked to me like a giant. I 
saw that the only way to defeat him was to use my] 
feet and a left-hand jab. I found out that I was a 
better wrestler than my opponent so I did not fear 
closing in on him to throw him. But I couldn't use 
up too much strength, for Boyne was too tough a 
fighter. 

'^Before we started to fight I could see that he 
thought it would be only a few rounds before I 
would be defeated. He kept calling me 'kid.' But 
after we got going, the serious look came into his 
face, and I saw that I had him worried. This gave 



me nerve. 



After we had been fighting a while I was so 
numb that I could hardly close my hands. They felt 
as though they would break when I landed my left 
jab on Boyne's nose and my right on his body. I 
wanted to beat them against my body so that the 
blood might circulate more freely in them. But I 
wasn't going to show my opponent that I was feel- 
ing badly, so I wouldn't do it. Then, much to my 
relief and astonishment, I saw him back away from 
me and commence to beat his hands around his 
body — swinging them under his armpits and slap- 
ping them on the opposite sides of his body. 

*Tt didn't take me a second before I did the same. 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 217 

There we stood slapping away like good fellows. 
My, but that did feel good! But it looked funny. 
I would have laughed if it had not been such a 
serious situation; we were nearly frozen. The 
bricks were a great comfort to me while they con- 
tinued hot. But after a time they became cold too. 
It was a dreary affair. 

"We fought twenty-three rounds. It finished in 
a peculiar manner. He had my head in chancery, 
and was slowly pounding me into unconsciousness. 
Being larger and stronger than I was, I could not 
break away from his iron hold. Suddenly it oc- 
curred to me that I could lift him and throw him 
over my head. I thought he would let go of me as 
he was going, but he didn't. He carried me with 
him and we both crashed to the ground with terrific 
force, he striking on his head and I falling on my 
back. 

"Falling on the hard frozen ground knocked him 
insensible, and it almost put me out also. Our 
seconds separated us and rushed us to our corners 
to revive us. When time was called, I was assisted 
to the scratch and stood there waiting my opponent. 
Imagine my relief and joy, when instead of Boyne 
coming to the scratch, I saw his seconds throw in the 
sponge. 

* ajK :|t He 3*s * * 

"The first time I ever met Herman Oelrichs was 
when he and Louis Livingston and several other 



2i8 MIKE DONOVAN 

Union Club men were making up purses for prom-j 
inent fighters to battle for. They started the ide< 
of giving purses around New York. They wen 
young men who could box, and they liked the sportJ 
Prof. Charlie Ottingnon was the best teacher in the 
city at that time and he was an exceedingly able 
teacher. 

"In April, 1878, W. C. McClellan and I were 
matched to fight for a purse put up by Herman 
Oelrichs and his friends. It took me some time 
before I could convince these gentlemen that I was 
worthy of meeting McClellan. I had Billie Edwards 
working for me, and even Joe Goss had to go down 
to the city from Troy and speak a good-word for 
me before they would consent to give me a show. 
Goss had boxed with me, and he told them that I 
could best McClellan. At last they gave me a 
purse of $1000 to go into training. 

"The fight took place at Clarendon Hall, Thir- 
teenth Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues. 
It was on the 6th of April, 1878. I had never been 
in such a small ring. McClellan was a great fa- 
vorite, and it looked to me as if the ring was 
made to favor him. Being a very strong man and 
heavier than I, it was all in his favor. 

"The fight was a slashing affair, and by rights I 
should have received the decision in the fifth round. 
Later in a mixup he grabbed me around the neck, 
hanging on to save himself, and as he did so I hit 
him on the jaw and put him down. The referee 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 219 

then stopped the bout, giving it to McClellan in the 
fourteenth round. He didn't understand that in- 
fighting was allowed. 

"I felt awfully bad to think that all this money 
was not to be mine. It was a great blow to me, 
because I did not have a cent to my name at that 
time. The whole affair affected me so badly that 
I completely lost my temper, and as soon as the fight 
was ended, I went over to McClellan's corner and 
gave one of his seconds a good licking. His name 
was Ed Mallon. All during the fight he had been 
making very nasty remarks to me, and I went over 
to him to get even. After I had knocked him down, 
I returned to my corner. 

"In the meantime a purse had been made up for 
me by the men around the ring side. Five hun- 
dred dollars they gave to me, and it was mighty fine 
of them. They knew I didn't have a penny to my 
name, and Pneeded money for my family. 

"The next day was Sunday and I rested up. On 
Monday a man came to me from McClellan and 
handed me $250. Some one had told him that 
would be the white thing to do, seeing that I had 
really licked him, and that it was only because the 
referee did not know his business that the decision 
was given against me. It was a mighty nice 
thing for Mac to have done, anyway. I gave old 
Goss $100 and Jack Turner $100. 

"In a month I was enabled to get another match 
with McClellan. This time it was under special 



220 MIKE DONOVAN 

rules. Mac thought they favored him but I didn't 
care as long as I could get him into the same ring 
with me again. The purse was put up by Plunger 
Walton, a great race-horse man. He kept the St. 
James Hotel and was a big politician. 

"Again the ring was the same size as before but 
I told Mac that I would fight him in a hogshead if 
he wished, and that I would lick him too. This 
time I got him in seventeen minutes. The contest 
took place in Monsterry Academy, Sixth Avenue 
and Thirty-sixth Street. My seconds were Joe 
Goss and Jerry Donovan. Mallon and Johnny 
Dwyer were McClellan's seconds. Billy Barst was 
referee. 

"During the fight Dwyer claimed a foul. He 
saw that it was going against McClellan, and he 
wanted to save the money for his side. I didn't 
think this action was fair and square of Dwyer, and 
I hunted him up the next day and challenged him 
to a fight. I felt that I could lick him, as he had 
only a right-hand swing, and that was all the blow 
he knew. I was certain that no man could defeat 
me with only one blow in his head. He refused 
to accept my challenge. 

"There were many notable people at the ring side 
that night. Captain Williams, in citizen's clothes, 
kept order. There were about one hundred of the 
most prominent Clubmen and the better element of 
the sporting world in attendance. One hundred and 
$200 were the prices for the tickets. Walton made 



I 



INCIDENTS AND REMINISCENCES 221 

about $7000 clear profit that night. He gave me 
$500 extra, which made my share $1500. 

"I made up my mind to get Dwyer if I could. I 
was confident I could defeat him. Although he 
weighed about 175 pounds, and I about 150 pounds, 
I felt that he could not keep the pace with me. I 
was very fast in those days, and exceedingly strong 
for a man of my weight. 

^'The Monday after the fight I went down to Jim 
Collier's place at Thirteenth Street and Broadway, 
where I knew I would find Dwyer, and there I also 
met Joe Goss, Jim Cusick, and Jerry Donovan, my 
brother. There were also some other sporting men 
in the saloon at the time. The talk drifted naturally 
into the fighting game, and some one asked if I 
would fight Johnny Dwyer. 

"Jerry, my brother, immediately spoke up: 'Oh, 
no. He's too big.' 

"I told Jerry not to interfere with my business, 
and that I could make my own fighting arrange- 
ments. I said that I certainly would be willing to 
fight Dwyer, and not only was I willing but very 
anxious to fight him. 

"Old Mr. Gallagher drew a check for $1000 and 
I offered it to Dwyer as my stake. 

" 'Dwyer, I will challenge you, and here's my 
check for $1000 to bind the match. You tried to 
rob me of that fight Friday night. Yet I saved 
your life in Troy. You would have been kicked to 



222 MIKE DONOVAN 

death if it hadn't been for me. I can lick you. 
Come across with the money.' 

''Well, by golly! he turned the color of a sheet. 
His excuse was that he was thinking about fighting 
Paddy Ryan. 

" 'You won't fight Ryan for at least six months 
and I will fight you in two weeks or a month as you 
wish. I can best you, Dwyer.' 

"I got his goat right there. He was nervous and 
scared, and before all the men that were there he 
refused me. That was a fine man to hold the 
American heavyweight championship." 



XV 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS AND FRIENDS 
FROM JUDGE H. A. GILDERSLEEVE 

"In reply to your request for a few words of 
comment on Mike Donovan as a teacher and man, 
I must say that it is upwards of twenty-five years 
since I first became acquainted with him. He had 
many friends and admirers at that time and, to my 
knowledge, made a great many since. I beHeve 
that all remained his friends. I consider that this 
fact constitutes the highest possible evidence of his 
efficiency as a teacher, his good character as a man, 
and his loyalty as a friend. It may truthfully be 
said of him as well as of Jim Bludso, *He never 
flunked and he never lied.' 

"I recall an incident in his life that may be worth 
mentioning. He had participated in some minor 
capacity in what in the days gone by was known as 
a 'prize fight.' It took place in a jurisdiction far 
removed from the metropolis in a state where he 
was personally unknown. He had been indicted, 
and the day for trial was near at hand, ^when he 
asked me for a letter of recommendation. In a few 



224 MIKE DONOVAN 

lines, addressed To whom it may concern/ I stated 
the high esteem in which he was held by the mem- 
bers of the Athletic Club, where he had been em- 
ployed for years, and commended him to the kind 
consideration of those into whose hands he might 
fall. When the case was moved for trial he handed 
this recommendation to the prosecuting officer, who 
communicated it to the judge presiding. His frank 
statements, respectful and agreeable manners, at 
once won the confidence of the court, and at recess 
he was invited to lunch with the judge and the mem- 
bers of the bar. He entertained them with some 
narratives of his achievements as a boxer, returned 
to the courtroom, and the trial proceeded. What 
he had anticipated might prove a very serious mat- 
ter resulted in an enjoyable event. As far as I 
know, this is the only time he was ever in the cus- 
tody of the law. 

*'I congratulated him upon the agreeable sur- 
roundings in which he found himself in his declin- 
ing years. I know of no one more deserving of 
rest, comfort and happiness.'' 



* 



FROM J. COLEMAN DRAYTON 

'^I can give my opinion of Mike, both as a teacher 
and a man, in very few words. 

**My experience in an endeavor to learn the manly 



LETTERS FROM. FORMER PUPILS 225 

art extends over a period, alas ! of forty-four years. 
I took my first lesson from a man called Hilde- 
brand, in Philadelphia, in 1871, since when I have 
had many teachers here and in England. In that 
lengthy experience I can honestly say that I have 
never had a better teacher than Professor Mike 
Donovan. No, nor as good ! 

*'His tact was unfailing. Often in later years, 
when I found myself out of breath, after a few 
minutes of boxing, Mike, with much deceptive ef- 
fort of lungs, would puff and pant in keeping with 
my condition, and to console me, say that we had 
had a very quick five minutes. Or if by some rare 
chance I really landed on Mike — unlike other teach- 
ers from whom I have received cut lips and black 
eyes in return — his unfailing 'Very Clever' really 
made me believe, for the moment, I knew 'the game' 
or was beginning to. 

"I feel that my time has come, and that my box- 
ing days are over, and I know I shall never find 
any teacher to give me the exercise and pleasure he 
did. 

"As to the man, he was as honest as they make 
them, in and out of the ring ; as kindly as a woman 
to a friend, as fierce as the devil to an enemy (he had 
few), with a pluck both physical and moral that was 
beyond question. A man who was my friend and 
whose friend I was proud to be." 



226 MIKE DONOVAN 



FROM A. V. DE GIOCOURIA 



"To say or do anything for Prof. Mike Donovan 
was always a great pleasure. 

"I first heard his name mentioned by Prof. 
Charles Ottignon, the greatest of boxing teachers. 
I was one of his pupils, and one day after my regu- 
lar exercise he told me he had met a very smart- 
looking, game and clever young fellow who would 
surely make his mark as a boxer, and that this 
young man was Mike Donovan. Ottignon's proph- 
ecy was correct; he became the Champion. 

"I knew Mike for many years, had much to do 
with him ; never saw him do anything that was not 
manly and honourable, and I trusted him. I have 
many anecdotes to relate about him, but one just 
comes to my mind showing the honest and truthful 
Professor. I was sitting in the boxing-room of the 
club, with a curtain separating me from the part of 
the room where Mike was giving a private lesson — 
as it happened to a new pupil — when I overheard 
this conversation (Mike was instructing his new pu- 
pil on different blows, counters and so forth, but to 
almost every explanation the pupil would argue 
and answer) : *Well, in that case I leave myself 
open (here or there),' or, 'In that case I would do 
(so and so).' Mike after a while seemed to give 
up the argument and said : *My dear Sir, I am here 
to show you the best way of boxing, hitting and 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 227 

stopping, but let me tell you now, that when you 
are fighting, you can not be picking out spots.' 

''Wasn't that like honest Mike?" 

"I have only one word to add ; that he was one of 
the men I always loved to shake by the hand. I 
want to thank you for thinking of me in connection 
with the book of Mike's Hfe." 



* 



FROM J. L. GLADWIN 

"Your request that I should write an interesting 
anecdote relative to the many happy hours passed 
in Mike Donovan's company has awakened a per- 
fect flood of agreeable souvenirs, but they are so 
confused and mixed up with pleasant memories that 
it is impossible for me to separate them. 

"Regarding my personal appreciation of the char- 
acter of Mike Donovan, I am very happy to say that 
nothwithstanding the very long time and great dis- 
tance that has separated us I entertained always for 
him the greatest esteem and most sincere affection. 

"I thank you very much for your kind inquiries 
regarding our safety — happily up to the present we 
have suffered no personal loss. We often hear the 
big guns in the distance but, praise God, the 
French line still remains unbroken. Every day, 
however, brings new names to be added to the long 
list of friends who have gone. It is very sad. 



228 MIKE DONOVAN 

'"With many thanks for your letter and an af- 
fectionate souvenir to dear Old Mike.'' 
Poligny, France. 

He He He He He sK He 

FROM HUGH H. BAXTER 

**I have known and liked Mike for more than 
thirty years. A little incident occurs to my mind 
which may show Mike's character in a line entirely 
removed from sport. 

"I came into the fencing room in the old Fifty- 
fifth Street clubhouse about seven o'clock one 
night when the instructors in the various depart- 
ments were having their dinner. In some way the 
talk turned to the Civil War and Mike began giving 
me a description of the battle of Gettysburg. He 
became very much interested in his explanation, and 
began removing various articles from the table 
and laying out a sort of map on the floor. The salt- 
cellar and pepper-pot represented the Confederate 
lines — knives, forks and spoons represented the dis- 
position of the Union forces. 

'^Before we got through the table was entirely 
stripped, but I had a better idea of the battle of 
Gettysburg than I ever obtained from reading his- 
tory." 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 229 



FROM B. F. O'CONNOR 



'Tt gives me the greatest pleasure to join with 
Mike's old pupils and friends in expressing appre- 
ciation of the high and sterling qualities of our 
beloved instructor in the manly art of self-defense. 

''To me Mike's conduct, teaching and character 
expressed as lofty an ideal of American manhood 
in his humble career as we find anywhere. 

"It was not alone his skill and success as a 
teacher of boxing, his unfailing good humor and 
cheerfulness, his readiness to give and take and his 
absolute devotion to our interests that endeared him 
to all his pupils; his manly personality and rigid 
adherence to the true spirit of sportsmanship and 
fair play and his wise counsels to shun bullying and 
aggressiveness, while prepared to resent and punish 
hostile interference with right and justice were as 
good a guide to manly conduct as could be desired. 

"No one ever heard Mike advocate seeking a 
row or ever inviting it by aggressive acts. To him 
the rights of every individual were sacred. It was 
only when these were endangered or disputed that 
he believed a man should fight. 

"Can we find anywhere a better principle of con- 
duct than that which he inculcated ? Be prepared — 
be skillful in attack and defense — be ready to meet 
any adversary without fear or favor — but never ex- 
ercise your skill and strength except to defend jus- 



230 MIKE DONOVAN 

tice and the right, or resent and punish arrogance 
and injustice. 

"After more than thirty years of intimate ac- 
quaintance with Mike, I can truthfully say, with I 
think the vast majority, if not all of his old pupils, 
that my esteem for Mike as a man and my appre- 
ciation of his qualities of heart and soul increased 
year after year. His influence was always for good 
and his teachings and example inspired hundreds 
of our best and noblest American youth, not to seek 
broils and disputes, but if forced into them, not to 
shirk the conflict and above all not to flinch when 
duty called." 



Hf 



FROM W. H. PAGE 

"I knew Mike some twenty-four years. My 
acquaintance certainly was intimate. During that 
entire time I suppose I have boxed — with much 
benefit — at least once a week on the average. 

"My four oldest sons were taught by him, be- 
ginning at an age so young that, at the outset, they 
had either to stand on the table or he on his knees. 

"I remember particularly his advice to one of 
them: 

" 'It is a fine thing to be a good boxer, but never 
forget, my boy, that it is more important to be a 



man.' 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 231 

"Mike was the type that never grew old, phys- 
ically or mentally, a type that is a credit to any 
community, a man who leaves a memory behind 
that all will respect and that all that knew him 
will honor/' 

^0 ^0 ^K ^K ^0 ^0 ^0 

FROM WALTER G. SCHUYLER 

"It gives me pleasure to say to you that during 
all my executive connection with the N. Y. A. C. 
and many other Athletic and Aquatic organizations 
it has never been my experience that any instructor 
proved more capable, had higher ideals of his pro- 
fession or possessed, in my estimation, a more lucid 
method of imparting his instruction to his pupils 
than our respected friend. Professor Mike Dono- 
van. 

"His keen perception, never failing good humor 
and proficiency, and his strict attention, to a re- 
markable degree, to all the numerous details of his 
calling ; his correct habits, high character and busi- 
ness punctuality with every appointment naturally 
has endeared him, without exception, to all those 
that came in contact with him officially, or as pupil. 

1* 'T* ^ ^ H* 'P H* 

FROM COL. DANIEL APPLETON 

''I knew Professor Mike Donovan all my life, in 
fact since the Civil War, and I know that in addi- 



232 MIKE DONOVAN 

tion to his professional abilities as a boxer, he was 
one of the sincerest men I ever met. His life was 
always upright, and he stood for good citizenship. 
My regard for him was so great that I have taken 
the liberty of writing my letter on regimental paper, 
something we do not do as a rule, except on official 
business." 



FROM H. A. BUERMEYER 



'*I have been interested in the pugilistic game 
since 1857, and have had a personal acquaintance 
with all the boxers from Heenan to John L. Sulli- 



van. 



I heard of Donovan at Chas. Ottignon's 
boxing rooms, I think in the late 70's. I was 
told by Ottignon that Donovan was not only a 
clever boxer but that he had a good fighting brain, 
and that he would beat McClellan, who, at that time, 
was considered the best we had here of his weight. 
*'I acted as referee at Donovan's first battle with 
McClellan, and I disqualified Donovan for not obey- 
ing my instructions. After a long fight, in which 
Donovan had the best of the game all the way, 
McClellan was so weak and tired in the last round 
that he clinched to save himself — it had been agreed 
by both men that wrestling would not be permitted, 
and that when a clinch occurred, at the ref- 
eree's command to break, they would each step back 




In the New York Athletic Club 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 233 

a step and continue boxing. McCIellan was nearly 
all in at the commencement of the last round, and 
it seemed certain that Donovan could not lose; the 
clinch occurred. I ordered a break, and Mac 
dropped his hands and stepped back; Donovan, in 
the excitement that occurred at the time, forgot 
himself and cut loose a drive that sent McCIellan 
to the floor. Mac's second, Malahan, claimed a foul 
that I allowed. 

"I became better acquainted with Donovan later 
on, and I found it was actually a privilege to know 
a fighter that was not ashamed of his game. He 
was one that knew boxing from A to Z, in fact 
the best pugilist of his time — always ready and 
willing to try conclusions with any one; weight and 
reputation did not scare him; he was confident of 
himself. Yet, amid the dissipations that were com- 
mon and frequent among men that fought and those 
that patronized the sport, he was always modest, 
temperate and well-behaved. A good citizen, a man 
of family, a credit to himself and his friends! I 
watched him closely for many years and I know 
what I am writing about." 



FROM R. H. HALSTED 



''Having learned quite recently that the history 
of Professor Mike Donovan was to be written and 



234 MIKE DONOVAN 

friends were contributing to the edition, I should 
like to offer my understanding of the man. 

"As an instructor in the art of sparring he never 
had a superior or his equal. Not only did he possess 
unusual skill but his demeanor with all his pupils 
was most exceptional — always polite and consid- 
erate and making those he instructed self-reliant, 
and many the recognized expert amateurs of the 
country. 

"The fact that he was employed by the New York 
Athletic Club as Professor of sparring for thirty 
years stands for a record of which any man should 
indeed be proud. 

"Donovan, for at least fifty years, was active in 
the arena of sparring and met nearly all the pro- 
fessionals and amateurs of this country. I saw 
Donovan in many encounters and never saw him 
defeated. His eye, bone, muscle and agility one can 
never forget ; and his geniality and bewitching smile 
made him more popular in his profession than any 
of his predecessors or his followers. 

"Men like Sullivan, Corbett, Cleary, Coffey, Mc- 
Auliffe, and others came to Donovan in order to 
learn all that was necessary in the fighting game; 
and the records of these men show that their time 
was not wasted. 

"I recall a meeting place some years since in 
Exchange Place where some three of his most be- 
loved and skilled pupils met two or more times a 
week for so-called instruction. These pupils ar- 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 235 

ranged on every occasion to defeat Donovan, and 
would plan hours before the meeting how to do it. 
And yet I can vouch for the fact that Donovan was 
always the victor, his cleverness and condition mak- 
ing him ready for any emergency. 

^'Many times his favored pupils would wander 
from the straight path and meet a worthy antag- 
onist; and a little the worse for their experience, 
would hurry to the Donovan studio of combative- 
ness, find the Professor, return to the scene of 
disaster, when the Professor would make it very 
pleasant for those that were too aggressive, and so 
adjust all differences. 

"Donovan's gentlemanly conduct and honest de- 
portment won for him a host of friends, and in my 
opinion he was the only man that made the manly 
art of sparring a fit pastime for the young men 
of our great city.'' 

^ H^ ^ 4^ H^ 3)c Hs 

FROM C. E. KNOBLAUCH 

"Fond recollections of the Kind Old Gentleman. 
(Alias, 'Mike.') 

'*Now that a *Bay-Window' has replaced a once 
'straight- front,' it is with fond recollections that I 
look back to the days when the grand old man 
helped many of us to get into condition, and make 
that otherwise burdensome duty a pleasure. 

"I hardly believe that any of his old pupils re- 



236 MIKE DONOVAN 

alize the enormous vitality this required — to school 
in the art of self-defense mere boys to stout men 
and weaklings to huskies. That was Mike's regu- 
lar afternoon's work. 

"The usual verdict was one of satisfaction. 
Quick as chain lightning and always even-tempered, 
Mike brought out in each one of his pupils what 
he wanted them to accomplish. In the many years 
I frequented the sparring room I can recollect only 
one occasion when Mike's even temper was ruffled. 

"One afternoon a big six-footer looked into the 
sparring room on the third floor front (the old 
building on Fifty-fifth Street and Sixth Avenue), 
made a close survey of the situation and decided to 
try it on with the "kind old gentleman" who was 
giving lessons. 

"After a round or two, his decision was an- 
nounced in a very peremptory manner: that 'for 
school boys and weaklings the fiddling about he had 
been able to do with Mike (kind old gentleman) 
was not for strong fighting men of his ability.' He 
added a few deprecatory remarks which nettled the 
'kind old gentleman.' 

"Mike then suggested to him in a quiet tone that 
it had been his endeavor always to accommodate his 
pupils — would he oblige him by coming in the next 
afternoon at three o'clock ? Later comers that after- 
noon noticed a gleam in the 'kind old gentleman's' 
eye. 

"Punctually the next afternoon the six-footer 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 237 

proudly entered the room. The *kind old gentle- 
man' asked him what manner of sparring suited 
him. His reply was: The limit will suit me; don't 
be afraid; just hit me as hard as you please — if 
you can/ 

"Preliminaries over, they squared off, with a few 
silent witnesses standing in the corner by special 
invitation. 

"The *six-footer' put up his hands, when some- 
thing hit him unexpectedly. Before he had a chance 
to think it over, he was lying on his back, feeling 
queer; he struggled to his feet, only to find himself 
stretched out again. To put it mildly, his eyes were 
of little use to him, nor was his nose and mouth in 
an immaculate condition. 

"He had enough sense, however, to find his way 
to the door by crawling out. It was the last any- 
body ever saw of him. The 'kind old gentleman' 
(our old Mike), had given him just what he had 
needed — a lesson for a lifetime.'' 



FROM LAURENCE MCGUIRE 

"As a young man it was my good fortune ta 
meet Mike Donovan, known to the general public 
as 'Professor Donovan,' but to the members of the 
New York Athletic Club and more particularly hi^ 
pupils as *Mike.' 

"As an instructor of boxing, it is^, xioX too much 



238 MIKE DONOVAN 

to say that the world never produced his equal. His 
individual form, which he had the happy faculty of 
conveying to his pupils, was admittedly the last 
word in finished boxing. With all the instincts of 
the clever, game fighting man, he was always free 
from brutality, but nevertheless more than held his 
own with all that came into the boxing room of the 
New York Athletic Club, and this without regard 
to age, size or weight. 

"To refer to Mike's ring-record and his ability 
as a trainer of fighting men, would be equivalent to 
rewriting the history of the 'Ring' in America 
for the past fifty years. As a man he was clean and 
honest, which perhaps are the most desirable qual- 
ities to be found in a man of his calling. 

"When, a short time ago, the New York Athletic 
Club decided to retire Mike from active work and 
when they did him the honor of making him In- 
structor-Emeritus, it was not only with the unani- 
mous approval of the Club membership but a great 
satisfaction to his pupils. 

"There are comparatively few men whom one 
meets and of whom one grows sincerely fond. Mike 
was one such to every man who knew him well and 
was capable of appreciating sterling qualities. 

"It must have been gratifying to Mike to feel 
that he had the good-will of all that knew him and 
also the regard and confidence of the public. Real- 
izing how truly fond I was of Mike, I fear lest I 
should overstep the bounds of moderation in my 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 239 

estimate of him. He had a legion of staunch 
friends and to them it may be difficult to be mod- 
erate in praise. 

"I, for one, am indeed glad to say that Mike was 
not only my instructor; he was in many ways my 
adviser and above all my valued friend." 

FROM E. W. KEARNEY 

'^Nothing I could truthfully say about Mike in 
expatiation of his sterling qualities would be more 
than he deserved, for I share the opinion of many 
others in advocating him as the greatest Professor 
of boxing in the world. His qualities of ability, 
judgment and geniality compelled the respect and 
devotion of every one with whom he came in con- 
tact, professionally or casually. 

"As a man, Mike Donovan exhaled good for 
every one he associated with, for, practicing what 
he preached, he was a grand example, to young and 
old men alike, of what living a cleanly life will do 
for a man who has brains and character. 

"Abstaining from, I may say abhorring, both 
liquor and tobacco, he was never afraid to declare 
his principles in that direction, and I know he ex- 
erted great influence over many young men in caus- 
ing them to do likewise. In short, he was a 
wonderful power for good, apart from his profes- 
sional boxing capacity." 

3k * * He * * 5|e 



240 MIKE DONOVAN 

FROM JAMES M. MOTLEY 

"My acquaintance with our old friend, Mike 
Donovan, began in the year 1885, and from our 
first meeting we remained very warm friends. He 
was the 'real thing,' always, as a man and good 
citizen, beginning his activities in that respect, as 
you know, in the Civil War, in which he served with 
great credit to himself. 

"As a sparring instructor, there was never his 
equal, in my opinion, and I have boxed with a great 
number of teachers. As a ring master, his record 
speaks for itself, having held both the middle and 
heavyweight championships. The Championship 
Belt is now to be seen in the Trophy Room in the 
clubhouse. 

"I could cite many instances showing his ster- 
ling worth in all ways, but as no doubt many of his 
friends in the club and out have done so, it is 
unnecessary for me to 'boom his stock' to any fuller 
intext He always led a cleanly, God-fearing life, 
and I never heard of any one belittling him or his 
character in any way." 



FROM GRAEME M. HAMMOND 

"It gives me great pleasure to add my tribute to 
Mike Donovan, my friend and teacher for over 
thirty years. His life, indeed, contained a lesson 
that may well be studied by every young man. 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 241 



"Beginning life with no advantages of birth or 
money, by his sheer force of character, his gentle, 
lovable and simple nature, his unflagging interest 
in his work and in his pupils, and his unfailing 
courtesy, he gained the respect and affection of all 
who worked with him and got to know him. His 
ability to impress his personality on all classes of 
men was remarkable. 

"Whether scientist or professional man, financier 
or merchant, all loved Mike; liked him for his 
ability as a great teacher, and respected him as a 
man. No battles won in the ring compare for a 
moment with the far greater achievement of win- 
ning the best thing in the world: the love and 
respect of your fellow man. This Mike Donovan 
did." 

FROM W. O. INGLIS 

"It gives me great pleasure to write my tribute 
to one of the noblest men I ever knew — Mike Dono- 
van, and I am grateful for the opportunity. Such 
a man as Mike should be preserved in the record for 
the perpetual encouragement and stimulus of grow- 
ing Americans. I should not know where to turn 
for a finer example of sincerity and undying kind- 
ness and courage to commend to my son. He is 
indeed what one writer called him : 'Mike Donovan, 
The Irish Samurai.' 



242 MIKE DONOVAN 

^'I suppose what happened at the meeting with 
Jack Dempsey in 1888 illustrates pretty well what 
kind of a man Mike was. Jack was not only the 
champion middleweight of the world but was called 
the 'Nonpareil/ and up to that time, had been un- 
beatable. Mike had retired unbeaten from the 
middleweight championship twelve years before. 
He had no thought of fighting until tattlers that 
gossiped at the Hoffman House made bad blood 
between the men, which culminated in Dempsey's 
boast that he could beat Mike any time. 

"The moment Mike heard of this he sent articles 
of agreement to Dempsey, which Jack signed, prom- 
ising to box six rounds with Mike, receiving $100 
if he knocked Mike out but nothing if he failed. 
Mike promptly chose a hall in Williamsburg. 
That'll make it handy for Jack's neighbors to come 
to the show,' he said. 

"Dempsey trained a month at Far Rockaway. 
Mike 'trained' during the two weeks' leave of ab- 
sence the Board of Governors gave him, by leading 
his little children by the hand through Central Park. 
He told me that all he really needed was a let-up 
from boxing, because his pupils in the Club had 
given him plenty of fighting practice. 

"Eddy Rauscher used to rub his left shoulder 
every day, for Mike had badly strained it block- 
ing a swing from James Motley, who was one of 
the heaviest-hitting lightweights of that time. 

"As a devoted pupil of Mike and admirer of 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 243 

Dempsey, I was at the ring-side, praying that Mike 
would not be knocked out and lose his job. Imagine 
my surprise when he went at Jack like a bullet, mak- 
ing the pace and making it so hot that he eclipsed 
the champion. This happened for three rounds and 
I feared that the fast pace would tire Mike. 

'Tnstead of tiring he fought faster than ever in 
the last three rounds. I shall never forget my 
amazement when I saw Mike drive the ^Nonpareil' 
from mid-ring to his comer, and then along three 
sides of the ring, with Jack ducking, smothering 
and running away from the veteran's furious at- 
tack. 

'The referee called the match a draw. James 
Kennedy of The Times, who had refused to be 
referee, told me next day he was glad he was out 
of it, because if he had acted, he must have given 
Mike the decision as mere justice, and he'd hate 
to see his friend Jack lose his reputation. 

*'Not once since that day have I heard Mike com- 
plain of being robbed of his credit. 'Every one who 
saw the bout knows I beat him a mile,' said Mike, 
'and it would be no benefit to me to hurt Jack.' 

"So there you have Mike Donovan: bold, reso- 
lute, dauntless, keeping his promise of battle, even 
when his arm was half crippled; a master of the 
'Nonpareil' in the ring, yet big-hearted enough not 
to clamor for the glory that was rightfully his be- 
cause he would not hurt another. 



^44 MIKE DONOVAN 

"God might have made a finer man than Mike, 
but He never did." 

^ ^ H^ 3|c :^ a)c :^ 

FROM RAMON GUITERAS 

"Mike Donovan belonged to a group of men, few 
in nimiber, who were good boxers, good fighters 
and good teachers; in other words, he was an ob- 
server who absorbed the knowledge that was neces- 
sary to place him on the high standard that he held, 
as the best Professor of boxing that this country 
has ever had. 

"He belonged to a school of men who were cham- 
pions of their class ; men who had good foot- work, 
good hitting power, good defense and good general- 
ship. In that school we have had such men as John 
L. Sullivan, Jem Mace, Joe Coburn, Tom Hyer, 
Tom Sayers, John C. Heenan, Billie Edwards, 
Barney Aaron, Jack Dempsey, Jack McAuliffe, Joe 
Gans, George Dixon, James Corbett, Jake Kilrain, 
Kid Griffo, Mike Gibbons, Packey MacFarland, 
Bob Fitzsimmons, Sam Langford and others. 

"He was a middle-weight champion, and as such, 
at 158 pounds, 5 feet 8 inches high, was able to 
fight any one. He could fight any one, because he 
knew how to hit and how to get away. With his 
wonderful judge of distance, he could judge to a 
nicety just when to strike in order to land on the 
point aimed at with the greatest amount of force. 
He could make a bigger man whip himself with the 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 245 

exertion that he made in trying to land on him. He 
could box with any light-weight with the same ease 
and effectiveness with which he could a middle- 
weight. Naturally, he did not do so frequently, 
however, as he was a middleweight, but set-tos 
between him and Billie Edwards were certainly 
wonderful exhibitions of boxing. 

"When a middleweight champion, and having 
passed perhaps the ring age, he boxed with Jack 
Dempsey, then in his prime, clearly having the 
better of the set-to and giving an exhibition of the 
master hand of his weight in boxing which will 
never be forgotten by those that were present. 

*Tn teaching boxing he took much pains in the 
foot action of his pupils and the way they stood, 
the distance of one foot from the other, the way 
that they started their pimches and landed them. He 
was always particular how they held their hands 
and how they parried. 

''Champions have different ways of holding their 
hands. One will have a low guard and another 
a high guard and yet they are equally effective; but 
Donovan always preferred rather a high guard. He 
did not believe in a man holding his left hand low 
and swinging it as men often do. He held his left 
hand about on a level with his shoulder so that he 
could parry easily. 

**When I went to him in the early eighties for a 
few lessons, he said : 'You hold your left hand too 
low ; stand up straight and hold you guard up more/ 



246 MIKE DONOVAN 

I thought I could do as well holding my guard low, 
but he convinced me that I was wrong, although I 
could hit just as hard holding my left hand low. 
He further said: ^Your right hand is as good as 
any one's and you can hit as good an uppercut as 
anybody. Practice a little more straight hitting 
with your left hand and you can go back and lick 
anybody in Boston.' I took his advice, and went 
back and tackled every amateur or professional that 
I could get a crack at. He seemed at that time to 
have a desire to get square with a certain heavy- 
weight pugilist who was teaching boxing and he 
said; 'Go up and take a fall out of him; you can 
lick him if you hit him as hard as you do me. You 
are big enough to lick anybody. It will be good 
practice for you.' 

"About twenty years afterwards, when I had not 
boxed during that time, I had an attack of rheu- 
matism in the shoulder. I went to the gymnasium 
of the Athletic Club to box and loosen my right 
shoulder- joint, which was stiff. I thought I would 
see if Donovan would notice it if I placed myself 
in the same position as when I first went to him. I 
held my left hand low in feinting and he said : 
'There you are, just the same as when you first came 
to me twenty years ago ; you see you have forgotten 
all about what I told you.' I answered : 'Not at all; 
I wanted to see if you had forgotten it.' And I 
put my hand up again in the position he had taught 
me. 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 247 

*'He never forgot the natural peculiarities of men 
who had boxed with him — just how they hit, just 
how they defended themselves, what the strongest 
punch was and whether they had good footwork 
and a good judge of distance or not. 

"The only teacher that I remember who took a 
similar amount of pride in bringing out his pupils, 
was Ned Donnelly of London, who was the best 
teacher of his time in that country. 

**In closing, I wish to say that he was not a boxer 
alone, but Mike could fight as well as he could box, 
and he could teach as well as he could fight and 
box. He was always kind and considerate of his 
pupils, and therefore always had their highest 
esteem and regard." 

^R ^1^ ^K ^^ ^n ^1^ ^* 

FROM WILLIAM MULDOON 

'*It is a great privilege, a rare privilege, and one 
that but few are blessed with, to live three-score 
years or more; the privilege of journeying along 
through life with those that have seen and know all 
about important events of half a century ago; that 
understand you and you understand them, that have 
known all about things that you know about. It is 
indeed a blessing. 

''I first made the acquaintance of Mike Donovan 
just after the War of the Rebellion, and we were 
well acquainted, and ofttimes closely associated 



248 MIKE DONOVAN 

from that day to this. We were not always friends, 
or, I might better say, friendly, for we both had 
opinions and a will, and we were both Irishmen, 
But our misunderstandings or brief quarrels evi- 
dently never destroyed our respect for each other; 
and when the strife of our lives was over, we were 
the best of friends. 

''Early in our lives there was a great prejudice 
in the minds of the people against athletics of all 
kinds. Boys and youths that had been blessed with 
exceptionally good bodies, naturally athletic, and 
whose tastes ran to the development of that body, 
and to the enjoyment and excitement the youth gets 
from indulging in athletic contests of various kinds, 
became conspicuous. This led to fame and reputa- 
tion. The boy is flattered, privileged, entertained, 
and courted ; all of which goes to developing pride, 
self-esteem, and many other things that make it 
most difficult for a youth in his unguarded mo- 
ments to resist temptations and privileges that are 
not only offered to him, but thrust upon him. 

''Very few are able to escape the very thing, and 
the many things, that caused the thinking people and 
the good people of those days to object and op- 
pose, to the utmost extreme, their boys indulging 
in athletics; particularly so, where they were likely 
to lead on to the professional athlete. I have seen 
many, very many, grand specimens of youth, full 
manhood, become wrecks for the simple reason 
that they could not stand the fame and prosperity 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 249 

that came rushing upon them before they had 
reached the age of understanding. 

"Young Donovan was an exception, inasmuch as 
he had escaped the two most dangerous obstacles in 
the way of a clean future. First and foremost of all 
— in contact with bad women ; and next, the danger 
of rum. How many splendid prospects have been 
ruined by those two dangerous pit-holes ! Donovan 
was fortunate in having a keen sense of his religious 
duties, and having fallen in love with a good girl. 
No temptation could win him away, and, when he 
married that good girl, he was safe. 

"Rum, pleasure, excitement, lust for money and 
fame never won him away. He took part in all 
the interesting events of the day, but way down in 
his heart was that keen sense of respectability and 
honor to his wife and his family. That is what 
saved Mike Donovan from the fate that had over- 
come so many of our acquaintances in the sixties 
and early seventies. 

"He always had an advantage in his profession, 
for his head was clear and his judgment good — for 
the simple reason that he was never dissipated. The 
hardships to be endured in his profession in those 
days might well be called hardships and punish- 
ment. In comparison with that time, the present 
day professional boxer has but little discomfort and 
nothing that might be called punishment or hard- 
ships. They were poorly paid in those days. Their 
fighting was done with bare fists; wrestling was 



250 MIKE DONOVAN 

allowed, and there was no limit as to the length of 
the contest. Either one or the other had to be de- 
feated. 

"I have often helped to shovel the snow away, 
and act as one of the posts, when they could not 
drive one into the ground; we would stand about 
and hold the rope to make the ring. The men were 
stripped to the waist, and the falls that they used 
to get on that frozen ground would take all of the 
courage and desire to fight out of the modern boxer. 
But Donovan never failed to make good, no matter 
what the odds against him were, or the difficulties 
to overcome. He was the cleverest boxer in his 
class, and that was a great help to him in his fights. 

"We were opposed to each other in the ring, at 
the last prize ring championship fight that ever took 
place, or that ever will take place — not as principals, 
but as seconds to the principals. Donovan was the 
second for J. Kilrain, and I was the second for J. L, 
Sullivan. The stakes were $10,000 a side, and the 
championship of the world. 

"I had spent many months of hard work train- 
ing Sullivan, and had to endure many unpleasant 
disagreements and overcome many obstacles, to get 
Sullivan in the ring in a condition that would win 
for him the prize at stake. Ninety per cent, of the 
English-speaking people of the world had their at- 
tention upon that affair, and I had eveiy reason to 
believe the majority of people were looking forward 
to my ability to make Sullivan a sure winner. There 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 251 

was, perhaps, more money bet on that fight than 
any other championship contest that ever took place 
before, and hundreds of my friends had notified me 
by wire or by letter that they were betting heavily 
on Sullivan, and giving odds that were almost un- 
reasonable. All this had worked me up to such a 
condition that I was ready to make any sacrifice to 
get justice for my man. That was all I wanted. I 
knew he could win if he got a fair chance. 

'The articles of agreement called for the toss-up 
of a coin, ten days before the fight, to decide which 
one of the principals should have the privilege of 
choosing the fighting ground. Kilrain won the 
choice. His managers carried us into a State where 
there was a law against prize fighting — Mississippi. 
We were a little distance from the State line. In 
Louisiana there was no law against prize fighting, 
and that was where we wanted to hold the fight. 
When I say 'we,' I mean the Sullivan party. But 
the Kilrain side had won the privilege, and they 
took advantage of it; and insisted upon Mississippi, 
which made us outlaws. 

"That added more to my responsibilities and 
made me all the more determined; and when I en- 
countered Donovan in the ring, ready to claim every 
possible advantage, fair or unfair, for his man, our 
friendship was thrown to the dogs. The day was 
terribly hot, the eighth of July. The ring had 
amphitheater seats all around it, running twelve 
feet high, which shut out every possibility of a 



252 MIKE DONOVAN 

breeze. The sun was beating down on us unmerci- 
fully. The thermometer, hung on one of the comer 
posts of the ring, by a newspaper reporter, regis- 
tered I02 degrees. The fight is a matter of history. 

"But, beyond a doubt, Mike Donovan saved Kil- 
rain's life. He had had one experience of a man 
being killed in the ring ; had suffered the prosecution 
by the legal authorities; and paid the penalty that 
the law demanded; and, though the Sullivan-Kil- 
rain fight was many years afterward, Donovan 
could not erase from his mind the experience of 
former years. Kilrain, in the severe fighting and 
the terrific heat, was growing very weak, and, in 
his weakened condition, one good blow delivered 
over the heart would be likely to stop the whole 
machinery of life in his body. Donovan saw the 
danger, and threw up the sponge, which ended the 
contest, and left Sullivan the undefeated Champion 
of the World. 

"We were prosecuted most vigorously by the 
State authorities; Sullivan and myself were made 
the targets. It cost us many thousands of dollars, 
though we were not to blame ; and the Kilrain side, 
that had selected the place, and were to blame, got 
off very lightly. But I was disposed to forgive 
Donovan, not only for our old acquaintance, but 
for the fact that he was the one man of that five 
or six thousand, in and around that ring, who had 
the caution and foresight to stop the affair before 
it had gone too far. 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 253 

^T mention this incident because it is proof that 
Donovan had in his soul something a Httle better 
than most men that have followed the profession 
of pugilism. 

*'His private and domestic life set an example 
that all men, in any walk of life, would be benefited 
by following/' 

^R Ji^ ^f^ ^V ^% ^^ ^* 

FROM ALPHEUS GEER 

'Tt would be a difficult matter for me to tell just 
what Mike Donovan stands for to me. I have 
known him so long and intimately that I look upon 
him from many points of view. As boxing in- 
structor I could imagine none better. Of all the 
men I have ever boxed with he struck me as being 
the one who had every blow in his repertoire that 
was known to fistiana. And when he wanted to he 
could hit them very hard. 

"His marvelous enthusiasm and active brain 
gave him a power as a teacher which few, if any 
master, of the art of self-defense ever possessed. 
He inspired his pupils with a love for the science 
of the game that kept them ever interested. 

''Mike was my good friend, and, as he was to 
all his friends, he was one of the treasured incen- 
tives of my life. I have learned much from Mike 
of the philosophy of living, which I value highly. 

"'Simple, candid, courageous and kind, Mike has 



I 



254 MIKE DONOVAN 

ever proved a loyal friend to those he once accepted 
as his intimates. Many anecdotes come to my 
mind with regard to the good old fellow, but only 
one will I tell and it will reveal his innermost soul. 
This incident will best of all illustrate the type of 
man and the secret of his remarkable life. It will 
show forth Mike in all his attractive simplicity and 
genuine faith and trustfulness; looking to the One 
Source of all strength he ever received his answer. 

"He and I were campaigning for Colonel Roose- 
velt. We were to speak before a crowd of some 
three thousand people, he posing as the instructor 
of the former President, and I as one of his 
expert pupils. As we entered the hall the audi- 
ence gave us a rousing reception. It certainly was 
an audience of sufficient magnitude to make the 
most experienced orator somewhat perturbed. 

"Mike leaned over to me and whispered that he 
was afraid. This was the second time he had ever 
spoken in public, so no wonder that crowd got on 
his nerve. 

" 'Mike,' I replied, 'there is really nothing for us 
to fear. We are here to do the Colonel all the good 
we can, and that means we are working in harmony 
with the Creator of all good, which is God, and so 
we have nothing to be afraid of.' 

" 'Yes, AUie, I know. I am praying, and I will 
pray some more,' responded Mike. The words 
hardly convey the sincerity and simple trust evi- 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 255 

denced in his tone of speech. It was most refresh- 
ing to me and left a lasting impression. 

"When it came his turn to step to the front of 
the platform and face that assemblage he did it 
without a tremor and he made the speech of the 
evening. A few nights after that meeting he was 
called upon to address an audience of his neighbors 
in the upper part of the city. He spoke for over 
one hour and a half. A man told me who had 
heard the speech that it was one of the most inter- 
esting campaign speeches he had ever listened to. 
The hall was packed to the doors and the Professor 
held them all spell-bound. 

"Mike was the soul of chivalry. Women of cul- 
ture and refinement were his ardent admirers. He 
was as much at home in the drawing-room or at 
the table as any man of social distinction. He 
could talk with any type of human being with equal 
ease and freedom from self-consciousness. He was 
always the same in his pleasing naturalness. Mike 
Donovan was a man.'' 

^^fc ^^ #^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^r 

FROM REX BEACH 

"It is a great pleasure to avail myself of this op- 
portunity of recording my opinion of Mike Dono- 
van, and I hope my delay in doing so — a delay oc- 
casioned by my absence abroad — will not prevent 
me from getting that opinion into print, 



L 



256 MIKE DONOVAN 

^'Notwithstanding the fact that one of Mike's 
sons pinched me for speeding and caused me to 
spend an apprehensive and expensive half hour in 
court, my opinion of his father has always remained 
the same — A-i. Nor did Mike's opinion of me, a 
convicted criminal, ever appear to lessen. 

''Mike Donovan was an ideal physical director, 
for he was not only expert in his line, agreeable and 
obliging, but he showed in himself the admirable 
results of clean living and vigorous, systematic ex- 
ercise. It is too bad there are not more Mike Don- 



ovans.'' 



sK ^ * 



FROM J. N. KIRK, JR. 

"When 'Mike' ceased his earthly toils, he left be- 
hind many freindships such as few could claim. 
Women, children, pugilists, merchants, lawyers, 
financiers and even statesmen all had the same high 
regard for him. At all times he was endeavoring to 
aid a friend or lend assistance to those in need. 

"All that knew him felt his loss keenly, for 'Mike' 
was a wonderful character. He had a charm of 
personality, coupled with sincerity and fearlessness, 
that won all those that he met. He was rich, for 
he abounded in qualities; he had friends who were 
his real friends, and, above all, he made life a suc- 
cess. The main reasons for his success, from which 
the others evolved, were enthusiasm, honesty and 
fearlessness. You could know him but a short time 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 257 

when these points in his character would become 
strongly visible. 

''As I write these lines many pleasant thoughts of 
him pass through my mind, but I can recall him 
most vividly in the boxing room of the New York 
Athletic Club which his son Arthur, in a recent 
letter to me, referred to as 'his second home.' I 
can see him now illustrating to some one a blow and 
I can almost hear him say 'so' as he completed the 
demonstration of the punch. How that little word 
would mean volumes in the way he used it ! 

"The old shop-worn saying was true of 'Mike,' 
that 'A man is as old as he feels,' and I doubt if 
many of those who have youth could have worked 
as hard as he did to 'Do their bit.' For it was serv- 
ing his country that brought on the illness which 
took him away from us. How he looked forward 
to the day when he would be in France in the midst 
of the great conflict ! This was, I believe, the great- 
est ambition of his successful career. 

"My memory recalls pleasant thoughts of him 
which would take many pages to relate. We know 
when 'Mike' ended his journey in this world, hav- 
ing passed seventy years, he was still a youth, with 
a character that was composed of all the strong, 
clean ideals and thoughts that go to make up a real 
man. If the world had more men in it such as 
'Mike' Donovan was it would be a far better world." 



* 



258 MIKE DONOVAN 

FROM REV. PERCY STICKNEY GRANT 

"In these war times as I think of Professor Don- 
ovan I am somehow impressed first with him as a 
man of honor. Although he came up from trades 
which threw him with very rough and ready young 
fellows (I believe he told me he was a caulker in 
the Brooklyn Navy Yard) ; although he was a bare- 
knuckle fighter, even in his ring work and fighting 
days he subscribed to rules of decency and fair play, 
the absence of which on some sides of modern war- 
fare are the despair of athletes and sportsmen as 
well as of honest folks generally. 

"What would the old pugilists, who abhorred 
hitting below the belt, have said of submarine war- 
fare, which is nothing else? The ring becomes a 
place of almost Homeric nobility in comparison 
with what the world has been taught by the leading 
military nation. 

"Professor Donovan's sense of honor was not 
only shown in the ring. Later, when, following the 
habit of successful boxers, he kept a saloon, he 
could not long endure the sight or thought of the 
place, but practically gave the establishment away, 
although it was profitable. Even in recent years I 
know that he refused a large sum — I think it was 
eight or ten thousand dollars a year — to be a man- 
ager of a saloon that was to be opened near the 
New York Athletic Club. 

His strictness in the observances of the Catholic 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 259 

Church; his ambitions and ideals for his children; 
the help that he gave to men of his profession who 
were down — notably to John L. Sullivan, who 
largely through Professor Donovan's personal ef- 
forts was put on his feet after he had lost the cham- 
pionship and almost everything else — impressed me. 
His delight in honoring the memory of the men 
who had gone before him in his profession greatly 
pleased me. When he visited San Francisco, when 
he visited Troy, he made a point of going to the 
graves of men whose names were associated with 
great ring battles and arranged to have their neg- 
lected graves put in order and cared for. 

"Professor Donovan had a mind as clean as his 
skin and a nature as upright as his backbone. Only 
a man of essentially gentle nature could for years 
have taught all sorts and conditions of men the art 
of boxing without having shown a mean streak in 
punishing the various forms of presumption and 
ignorance that show themselves in such a long list 
of pupils." 

:^ ))( :{£ H^ :|e sfe ^ 

FROM BRIGADIER-GENERAL m'COSKRY BUTT 

"My first experience with Mike Donovan was 
when I was a member of the New York Stock Ex- 
change and Lieutenant-Colonel of the Twelfth Regi- 
ment. It was at a time when gentle exercise was 
suggested for my health, and boxing with Mike 
Donovan was selected as the means for regaining 



^6o MIKE DONOVAN 

my health. I was forthwith brought to his notice. 
He was genial and innocent looking, but with a 
gleam in his eye that meant business. 

'*He began my instruction by putting his head 
where it was within easy reach apparently. I 
nearly blew myself up trying to hit that head, but it 
had nimbly shifted when my blow landed. It was 
exasperating, but finally I got to be an animated 
boxing automaton, and found that he was generous 
and my blows were returned with an interest that 
rapidly quickened my desire for improvement and 
learning. Then we became fast friends, literally 
and frequently very fast friends, to the amusement 
of the onlookers. I was making progress. Mike 
made me feel it. 

"Donovan was the prince of professors. Nobody 
could approach his skill in developing all that was 
in his pupils, and yet causing them to feel they must 
never use their instruction except for preparedness 
for self-defense. The affection all his old pupils 
hold for him show that he really instilled in their 
hearts as well as their bodies the gentle and manly 
art of self-defense.'' 



FROM JEREMIAH T. MAHONEY 

"Some time ago I received your letter referring 
to Mike Donovan. I dictated part of my reply 
thereto, but for some reason or other neglected to 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 261 

finish the letter. I feel very happy that you should 
ask me to express my opinion of Mike, both as a 
man and as a teacher of boxing. 

"In my opinion, he is one of the most unique 
characters that has as yet arisen in the boxing world. 
It is a most extraordinary thing that a man of 
Mike's gentle disposition could be such a great 
fighter. I have always felt that no man in the world 
was ever a greater credit to the support of boxing 
than Mike. As we all know, he led the most ex- 
emplary life, even under the most adverse condi- 
tions. He reared his large family just as a Chris- 
tian should. He has a record of never having done 
a mean or contemptible thing. As an instructor of 
boxing, he brought into play intelligence of the 
highest possible order. A half hour spent with 
Mike in the boxing room was the best possible med- 
icine to a tired business man. A few minutes' con- 
versation with Mike always made one feel better. 
His extreme optimism was always most cheering, 
and for many years he undoubtedly has been the 
New York Athletic Club's greatest asset. Any de- 
cent, self-respecting citizen could not fail to admire 
and love Mike, and, although he has retired as an 
active instructor of boxing, I hope and pray that in 
his newly created position of Emeritus Professor of 
boxing he will be with us for many years to come." 

^^ ^^ ^0 ^^ »^* ^^ ^K 



ft 



262 MIKE DONOVAN 

FROM STUYVESANT WAINWRIGHT 

"I do not know when I have heard more painful 
news than of the death of my old friend, Mike Don- 
ovan, nor how impossible it will be to fill the void 
he has left with so many of his old pupils; to my 
mind he was in a class all by himself, so brave and 
manly, and yet so tender and sympathetic for the 
troubles of others; and I know his example must 
have been an inspiration to many a man. I know 
also that he was a devoted family man and very 
sincere in his religious faith. In fact, I feel that I 
am much richer for having known him.'* 

New York, June 5, 1916. 

A letter of appreciation of Mike Donovan? Why, 
it would be impossible to write any other kind of a 
letter about "Our Mike." For many, many years 
Mike Donovan has been, to me, a symbol of eternal 
Youth. Ole Ponce de Leon never would have 
started on his search for the Fountain if he'd met 
Mike. 

Of course everybody knows about Mike's cham- 
pionship days, away back in the middle of a cen- 
tury that has gone by, leaving only Mike Donovan, 
still young, to remind us of all the half -forgotten 
great ones. Everybody knows about Mike's "come- 
back," a long time ago, when he met and outfought 
Champion Jack Dempsey. They called Mike Dono- 
van a back-number before he boxed the Nonpareil, 
but they didn't know what they were talking about. 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 263 

Mike never has been and never will be a back- 
number. 

I remember well one incident that happened ten 
or fifteen years ago — a mere detail in Mike's ca- 
reer, and perhaps one that he has forgotten. There 
was a youthful middleweight boxer in the N. Y. 
A. C. who went to England and boxed in an ama- 
teur tournament at the National Sporting Club. He 
came back with an idea that he was a real fighter. 
He felt that fame in the ring was his, if only he 
cared to stretch out his hand and take it. Perhaps 
he wasn't to be blamed, being very youthful. He 
knows better now. 

One evening, feeling particularly cockey, this 
young amateur stripped for action and went into 
the boxing room. Something was stirring in his 
noodle. He had a vague idea that he wasn't at- 
tracting quite enough attention. He wanted to 
shine — to bask in the limelight. He wanted to do 
something sensational. So he whispered it around 
that he was going to '^trim the old man and make 
him pull off the gloves.'' And somebody passed 
that interesting bit of information along to Mike. 

I forget just what Mike's age was then. Prob- 
ably he was a mere youth of 65 or so, and to be 
referred to lightly as ''the old man" annoyed him. 
Also the man who had trimmed Dempsey didn't 
think any fresh young amateur should be allowed 
to contemplate "trimming" him. Mike put on the 



264 



MIKE DONOVAN 



gloves and walking over to the smiling amateur 
asked : 

"You're in pretty good shape, aren't you?'' 

''Why — yes," said the amateur. 

'Then," said Mike, "I'll try you out a Httle. No 
rests. Just fight me as hard as you can and we'll 
see how you stand up." 

Smiling softly behind his glove and tipping an 
anticipatory wink to his friends, the amateur squared 
ofif. 

They say the men who fought Young Grififo in 
his prime always thought the air was full of box- 
ing gloves. Young Grififo had nothing on Mike 
that evening. The husky amateur snorted and 
charged and flailed away wildly. The more he 
missed the harder he tried. He was in deadly ear- 
nest. Hadn't he said he was going to "trim the 
old man"? 

Soon the amateur was pufifing. Mike Donovan, 
smiling grimly, took the aggressive. Crack-crack- 
crack! Mike's left was pumping 'em in. Crack- 
bang-left and right! Chug — a left into the wind! 
Crack! A left on the chin! And BANG! over 
went Mike's right! 

It was the dazed and disgruntled amateur who 
"pulled ofif the gloves." If I remember right he 
had the good grace to apologize to Mike, and Mike 
slapped him on the back and told him he was a nice 
boy, but he shouldn't go out of his class. So far 
as I know he never did — after that. At any rate, 



LETTERS FROM FORMER PUPILS 265 

he never bothered Mike again. If he ever stirred 
up any more trouble it was with some soft mark, 
Hke Jess Willard. 

He's some man — Our Mike! 



CHAPTER XVI 

MIKE Donovan's benefit 

In the spring of 191 4 a meeting of the members 
of the club was held in the gymnasium. Old 
pupils of Mike had come from far and near to 
be present at that meeting. One of them, Mr. 
George A. Sykes, came from Boston on the one 
o'clock afternoon train and returned that evening 
on the midnight for the sole purpose of being on 
hand to assist in voting down any opposition that 
might arise to the resolution that was recommended 
by the Board of Governors to make Mike instructor 
emeritus of boxing with a salary of one hundred 
dollars a month for the remainder of his days— a 
sufficient stipend "to keep the wolf from the door," 
as Mike expressed it. 

Was there any opposition? Not a peep. The 
resolution was passed by acclaim amid great en- 
thusiasm. 

When Mike made his appearance on the platform 
the applause was loud and long. He was much 
overcome with the heartiness of the occasion, and it 
was with difficulty he could command himself to 
voice the thoughts that came from his heart 

He accepted the resolutions presented by Presi- 

?66 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 267 

dent Page, and after a fitting tribute by our elo- 
quent president, Mike in his own sincere and sim- 
ple way responded as well as he could under the 
stress of the moment. 

The resolutions were handsomely executed and 
framed. They were worthy of the noted event and 
expressed the sentiments of all those present. 

There Mike stood, a most attractive sight— erect, 
modest and pleasing — a picture standing for all 
that was clean and manly. 

His old pupils, manlike, were laughing carelessly 
as if blubbering were furthest ftom their thoughts. 
But many an eye was moist. It was an affecting 
sight to us who had known dear old Mike for these 
many years and who had received so frequently the 
none too gentle but always kindly intentioned wal- 
lops from his scientific fists. 

The veteran stood calmly awaiting an opportunity 
to express his gratitude. He remarked to me after 
the meeting that if Evert Wendell hadn't suddenly 
raised his hand and caught his eye, nodding his head 
with enthusiasm, he would have broken down and 
cried. 

He certainly would have broken up the meeting if 
he had, for there were more than a few that would 
have followed his leadership. 

In his speech of thanks Mike expressed only one 
regret. He knew the time had come for his letting 
go. That was according to the law of nature, but 
his great regret was the thought that his dearly be^ 



268 MIKE DONOVAN 

loved wife had not lived to see the day when he 
was freed from worriment of the future. The part- 
ner of his trials and anxieties and yet of many joys 
had recently gone before and Mike spoke to us of 
her who was the incentive of his life and his be- 
loved one. If she only could have known! Maybe 
she did know. Maybe she was then with him, shar- 
ing his great happiness. This he told us there in 
all his sweet simplicity of manner and speech. How 
could we help but feeling teary ? Could you blame us ? 

It was proposed by Vice-President Montgomery 
and seconded by Alpheus Geer that a suitable tes- 
timonial of our regard be tendered Professor Don- 
ovan in the fall. It. was agreed to uproariously. 

In October, 19 14, the President of the New York 
Athletic Club, William H. Page, called a meeting 
of the committee appointed by him to consider a 
suitable method of honoring our instructor of box- 
ing, Mike Donovan. It was decided at this meeting 
to hold a boxing show in the clubhouse some Satur- 
day night in November. 

The general committee was comprised of many 
of Mike's former pupils, among them being Hugh 
H. Baxter, Rex E. Beach, August Belmont, W. 
Gould Brokaw, Harry E. Buermeyer, General Mc- 
Coskrey Butt, A. V. de Giocouria, J. Coleman Dray- 
ton, Robert W. Edgren, Harrison Gray Fiske, Sim- 
eon Ford, Hon. H. A. Gildersleeve, Dr. Graeme M. 
Hammond, Charles E. Knoblauch, Judge Jeremiah 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 269 

• 

Mahoney, James M. Motley, Wm. C. Muschenheim, 
William H. Page, Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, 
Thomas F. Ryan^ Sydney J. Simth, Hon. Rhine- 
lander Waldo, Hon. Bartow S. Weeks, Evert Jan- 
sen Wendell, Dr. Ramon Guiteras, and many others. 
All good friends and true of the best instructor any 
athletic club has ever had. 

An executive committee was appointed by the 
President, which was to arrange the details of the 
benefit. The members of this committee were: 
Messrs. C. Otto Touissant, Alpheus Geer, M. P. 
Halpin, Charles E. Knoblauch, Laurence M. D. Mc- 
Guire, J. T. Mahoney, H. G. Silleck, Jr., Fred. R. 
Fortmeyer. 

Judge Gildersleeve, in making the motion to hold 
this testimonial to Mike, related this incident : When 
Mike was arrested in Mississippi for being a second 
to Kilrain in his fight with John L. Sullivan at Rich- 
burg, Judge Gildersleeve sent letters to the judge 
who was to try Mike and also to the District Attor- 
ney, vouching for Mike's good character and rec- 
ommending him to the mercy of the court. 

At noon that day Mike was invited to luncheon 
with the Judge and District Attorney. 

Judge Gildersleeve, in concluding his remarks, 
said : 

*'I am heartily in favor of extending this testi- 
monial benefit to Mike Donovan. He stands for all 
that is clean and manly in sport. Nothing is too 
good for Mike.'' 



270 MIKE DONOVAN 

When a few of us met Mike in the boxing room 
after the meeting he told us that the Judge and Dis- 
trict Attorney, to whom Judge pildersleeve had 
written, treated him most kindly. At the luncheon 
they were much interested in hearing of Judge Gil- 
dersleeve. They knew of him as one of the finest 
rifle shots in America, and were glad to know of 
his being such a good athlete and high type of man. 

Sullivan saw Mike at the table with the Judge and 
District Attorney. He could hardly believe his eyes, 
he was so astonished. 

"My," said John L., when he met Mike after- 
wards, "but you are in soft! How did you work 
it?" 

"Nothing like having the right kind of friends, 
said Mike. Sullivan was fined one thousand dollars 
and Mike was fined one hundred. A purse had been 
made up for Mike by his friends on the New York 
Stock Exchange. They learned of his arrest, and, 
thinking he would have to pay a fine or go to jail, 
they sent the money to him in time to save him 
from prison. 

The movement for Mike's benefit found expres- 
sion in the following announcement : 

"The New York Athletic Club, of the City of 
New York. At a meeting of the Board of Govern- 
ors, held on the thirteenth day of October, 19 14, a 
resolution was unanimously adopted, as follows : 

" 'Resolved, on behalf of ourselves and the mem- 
bers of the club at large, that we do hereby express 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 271 

our profound appreciation of the record made by 
Professor Michael J. Donovan upon the completion 
of a term of twenty-five years and upwards of de- 
votion to its interest. And that in commemoration 
of the benefit to be tendered him at the city club- 
house on the fourteenth day of November, 1914, 
we present him with an engrossed copy of this ex- 
pression of our thoughts as a testimonial of the 
high esteem in which we hold him. 

'' 'In youth a brave soldier, serving under colors 
of his country ; in the prime of manhood a courage- 
ous and most skillful boxer ; in the activities of the 
club an instructor of extraordinary ability, and at 
all times a citizen of sterling worth and integrity, 
known to-day in athletic circles throughout the 
United States of America.' 

''And that the club, through us, hereby extends 
to its instructor-emeritus cordial greetings and best 
wishes for a long, happy and prosperous career. 

"W. H. Page, 
"President. 

"Fred. Fortmeyer, 

"Secretary.'' 

^ ^ Sf! ]|E ^ ^ Sf> 

On Saturday evening, November 14, 1914, the 
members of the New York Athletic Club gave a 
testimonial to Professor Mike Donovan in the form 
of a boxing entertainment. 

Never in the history of the ring was there such 
an evening. Never before for merely exhibition 



272 MIKE DONOVAN 

purposes did men of national and international rep- 
utation box with such vehemence and utter abandon 
worthy of a championship contest. Gunboat Smith, 
Battling Levinsky, Tommy Ryan, Harry Stone, Kid 
Lewis, Eddie Morgan, Young Otto, Young Twin- 
ing, Jim Coffey, Al Kubiack, all of them exchanged 
wallops with their opponents that if some of the 
blows had landed their exhibition bout would have 
been all over. 

The whole spirit of the evening was one of en- 
thusiasm and determination to make the event of 
dear old Mike's passing into private life a mem- 
orable occasion — to make it an event that the dear 
old fellow would be proud to look back upon and 
ever recall with joy. 

The services of all the boxers were given most 
willingly. They were given because they well 
knew that in the past never had there been a call 
upon Mike Donovan that he did not respond. They 
knew he had been a loyal friend and a credit to the 
boxing game. Many a time Mike had spent his own 
money in traveling to distant cities to volunteer his 
services in some exhibition for the benefit of some 
needy boxer. Mike, all his life, has been generous 
and warm hearted, and now in his declining years 
he is reaping that which he sowed. 

It's a law of humanity: "That which you give 
you get." 

All worked for Mike that night with light hearts 
and willing hands. From the president of the club. 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 273 

Mr. W. H. Page, to the humblest employee each 
one did his part most efficiently and willingly. 

The special committee that had the affair in 
charge was comprised of Robert W. Thompson, 
Honorary Chairman ; C. Otto Toussaint, Chairman ; 
Charles E. Knoblauch, Alpheus Geer, M. P. Hal- 
pin, J. T. Mahoney, L. M. D. McGuire, Fred. R. 
Fortmeyer, Secretary. It was a credit to them and 
the event was worthy of them. 

For an exhibition of scientific hitting the bout 
between Mike Gibbons and his brother Tom was 
extraordinary. No man that ever stepped in the 
ring knew more of the game than Mike Gibbons. 
For science and hitting ability he is one of the most 
finished performers of this and any time. He loves 
his brother Tom and refrained from topping him 
too much. He would rather be knocked down by 
Tom than knock out any other man. Mike is a 
marvel. Strong, clean of limb and life; a man de- 
voted to his wife and kiddies; a non-drinker, and 
of gentle instincts. But, my, how he can fight! 
The world has seen few to equal him. 

The name Mike must have a wondrous charm, 
for Mike Donovan and Mike Gibbons are two of the 
most unusual men that the ring has ever known. 
Both of them simple and sincere, wonders with the 
fists, and clean men. 

William Muldoon was Master of Ceremonies. It 
was an interesting sight to see the gray-haired old 
veteran, still erect and strong under the burden of 



274 



MIKE DONOVAN 



many years, conducting his part of the program 
with grace and efficiency. He opened the evening's 
entertainment with a neat Httle speech in compli- 
ment to our good old Mike. It was dignified, sin- 
cere and eloquent. 

The referee of each exhibition bout was an old 
pupil or friend of the Professor. Edward Kearney, 
Ramon Guiteras, Harry Talmadge, Harry Buer- 
meyer, William Seich, Robert E. Dowling, Alfred 
J. Lille, Laurence McGuire, Alpheus Geer all ref- 
ereed one bout each. ^ 

W. H. Page, president of the club and a former 
champion boxer at Harvard, also an old pupil of 
Mike, refereed the bout between the Professor and 
his son Arthur, known as ''Young Mike" Donovan. 

Mr. Page accepted this honor at the last moment, 
as Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was unable to at- 
tend the entertainment. The Colonel sent Mike this 
telegram : 



"Prof. Mike Donovan, 

''Care New York Athletic Club, 

"New York City. 
"Exceedingly sorry am unable to be present to 
referee the bout between you and your son. If I 
could do such a thing for any human being now it 
would be for you, for you are one of the best Amer- 
ican citizens I know. Good luck be with you. 

"Theodore Roosevelt/' 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 275 



i-^ 



We all regretted we hadn't the pleasure of the 
Coloners company. The Mayor of New York, 
John Purroy Mitchel, and a number of clergymen 
and priests were present as spectators. 

William Muldoon, known all over the world as 
Billy Muldoon, the champion wrestler, acted as the 
master of ceremonies. He was an old friend of 
Mike's, and a few years older. He filled the posi- 
tion with grace and dignity. Owing to his careful 
regard for health, Billy Muldoon is a remarkable 
man. His introductory remarks were very fitting 
and acceptable to the crowd of Mike's friends. To 
those of us who had known both men in their prime 
it was really a pathetic scene. 

In answer to a letter from Mike, thanking him 
for all his trouble, he sent the following reply : 

"Dear friend Mike: 

"I assure you that the little I was able to do 
for you afforded me as much pleasure as anything 
I ever did. I was most anxious that everything 
should pass off satisfactorily and creditably to the 
club and its committee, for it was indeed an excep- 
tional type of gratitude on their part for your loyal 
services. I think everything was satisfactory as far 
as I was able to see and hear, there being no hitch 
or delay and no disappointment. 

"I realize how you felt while on that stage. It 
was a very trying experience, and that you were 



276 MIKE DONOVAN 

able to speak at all was surprising to me, for I 
know that your heart was filled and bursting with 
emotion, and that you were making a desperate 
struggle to control yourself. I sent McGuire to the 
timekeeper, telling him to ring the bell in the third 
round, for I knew your danger in making any ef- 
fort to box while your heart was in that condition. 
A doctor sitting near me approved of my action, for 
he too realized that it was no time for you to at- 
tempt physical exertion. 

"Now, old friend, a word of advice : Keep occu- 
pied at something ; no hard physical work, but some- 
thing to keep your mind occupied, and do a little 
friendly boxing once or twice a week before your 
bath at the club. It is always dangerous for a man 
that has lived as active a life as you have to find 
himself with nothing to do. 

"With sincere best wishes, 

"Your friend, 

"William Muldoon.'* 



Mike and his son Arthur then had three rounds. 
To see the veteran prancing around the ring as 
lively as in his palmiest days was a revelation, and 
one felt that the Professor was equal to many years 
of active life. His position as Instructor Emeritus 
which the Board of Governors has graciously con- 
ferred upon him gives him the privilege of boxing 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 277 

with the pupils and interesting himself in the spar- 
ring room at any time he so desires. 

Father and son gave a very fine exhibition of the 
art of self-defense, and when at the end of three 
lively rounds Arthur, who is known in the ring as 
^'Young Mike'' Donovan, threw his arms around 
his father's neck and kissed him, it made a fitting 
climax to one of the most extraordinary evenings 
with which the game of boxing had ever been as- 
sociated. 

Mr. Sam Crane, one of the New York sporting 
writers, said in his paper: ''Mike Donovan retires 
with such honors as seldom are accorded to any one 
man, and with those he will receive from the New 
York Athletic Club a pension of one hundred dol- 
lars a month for life, besides the fine return from 
the testimonial. He deserves them all, but it is 
doubtful whether he appreciates them any more 
than the loving hug and caress that he received from 
his son after their bout which afforded such a fit- 
ting finish to the affair." ''Young Mike" is a chip 
of the old block. He has given a good account of 
himself in the ring, and time will surely bring him 
the highest honors. 

To Jimmy Johnston, Manager of the Madison 
Square Garden Athletic Club, can be given credit 
for the appearance of many of the boxers. He 
worked hard and enthusiastically to contribute to 
the success of the night. 

Professor Dan Hickey, who succeeds Mike Don- 



2/8 MIKE DONOVAN 

ovan as instructor in the boxing room of the club, 
sparred a bout with the last pupil Professor Dono- 
van brought out, Mr. Richmond Levering. The 
bout was a hard-hitting affair, but scientific and in- 
teresting to watch. 

Assistant Instructor Joe Murray gave an exhibi- 
tion of teaching and light sparring with his pupil, 
Mr. Raymond J. Rice, Jr., a member of the club. 
It was well done and enjoyed by the spectators. Mr. 
George Schwegler, a member of the club and for- 
mer pupil of Mike's, was the referee for the boxing 
contests, those bouts that were contested for points. 

Jack Clark and Jim Smith had a rattling go for 
six rounds. Eddie Nugent and Charles Murphy 
went at a lively pace for four rounds. Nugent had 
his man well in hand before the end of the contest 
and was an easy winner. He looks like a comer. 

The gymnasium was packed, although the low- 
est-priced seat was five dollars, and the crowd was 
most representative. Among those present were: 
Mayor Mitchell, Thomas F. Ryan, Judge Weeks, 
Evert Jansen Wendell, Walter Watson, Richard H. 
Halstead, A. V. de Goicouria, A. G. Mills, General 
Thomas L. Watson, Judge H. A. Gildersleeve, 
George E. Ruppert, Dr. J. N. West, A. P. W. Kin- 
nan, Simeon Ford, George G. Stow, Frederick G. 
Bourne, Harry E. Buermeyer, Walter S. Wilson, 
Richard Croker, Jr., Wm. McMaster Mills, Arthur 
McAleenan, G. B. Winthrop, F. F. Proctor, Judge 
Leicester Holme, Robert M. Thompson, Albert E. 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 279 

Colfax, Martin S. Paine, Wm. H. Seich, George T. 
Montgomery, Fred. R. Fortmeyer, Edward W. 
Kearney, Judge Jeremiah T. Mahoney, George 
Ehret, Jr., James W. Hide. 



Among the many letters Mike received after the 
testimonial was one from an old and notable Har- 
vard athlete: 

'*My dear Mike : 

"I cannot tell you how glad I was that all went 
so well to-night, and I congratulate you with all my 
heart ! May you be ever increasingly happy in your 
Professorship Emeritus, and in the enjoyment of 
your pension! And may we see you constantly at 
the club ! With every good wish, I am, 

^Ever sincerely yours, 

'Evert Jansen Wendell." 



tLvei 



* 



One of the prominent sporting writers on a Met- 
ropolitan daily, in commenting on the testimonial, 
remarked that it was the most stunning tribute the 
boxing game had received in many a day. All the 
papers displayed most flattering notices of the occa- 
sion. They rejoiced that a man so worthy had re- 
ceived such a tribute from the most prominent ath- 
letic body of men in the world. 

Walter St. Denis, in the New York Globe, said : 
*'We started off by telling what a great uplift for 



28o MIKE DONOVAN 

the manly art this splendid show of appreciation by 
the New York Athletic Club will be. And why not ? 
When the greatest athletic club in the world pays 
such a tribute to an exponent of the prize ring is it 
not a boost, tremendous, for the sport that holds 
kings, ex-presidents, millionaires, captains of indus- 
try, and just plain fellows like you and me in its 
sway ? It proves well that a lad can enter the box- 
ing profession, fight real ring battles, and still main- 
tain his position in society. There is not a member 
of New York's swellest athletic club who is not 
proud of the fact that he has been clouted by the 
same fists that pushed a padded glove into the face 
of a President of the United States — right in the 
White House, too. 

"Donovan's service to the New York Athletic 
Club during the years that he has been boxing in- 
structor simply cannot be estimated. Think of the 
stomachs that Mike has 'straightened out' ; the rheu- 
matism and other ills that he has chased away ; the 
ruddy glow of health he has put into dozens — yes, 
hundreds — of faces; the paunches that he has cut 
away; the business cares that he has thumped out of 
all manner of hard workers — these are a few of the 
things that Mike Donovan, with his personality and 
his splendid boxing, has accomplished for the indi- 
vidual members of the greatest athletic club of 
America. 

*Trom the first time that he put up his hands 
right down to the present moment Mike Donovan's 



MIKE DONOVAN'S BENEFIT 281 

career has been an honorable one in all ways. Every 
time that Mike went into the ring the other fellow 
fought just as hard as Donovan could make him 
fight, and yet his anxiety to win never once caused 
Mike to commit a foul. A cleaner liver than this 
Donovan person never breathed." 



CHAPTER XVII 



Donovan's death and funeral 



Michael Joseph Donovan died March 24, 
1918, in St. Francis Hospital, New York City, after 
an illness of two weeks. While giving physical in- 
struction to soldiers in the various cantonments in 
the East he contracted a cold which even his mar- 
velous physique could not withstand. 

Donovan's funeral was described by Frank 
O'Neill in the New York World of March 28, 191 8, 
as follows: 

"While the bugle corps of the First Field Artil- 
lery sounded taps, and a volley of rifle fire awoke 
the echoes, all that was mortal of Mike Donovan 
was laid at rest in St. Raymond's Cemetery yester- 
day. Full military honors were accorded to the 
once mighty warrior, who won more lasting fame 
and glory as a soldier of America than as the great 
Mike Donovan of the roped arena. 

**Every wish of the deceased was complied with. 
He was buried in his blue uniform of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. His medals and orders 
were pinned to his breast, and his sword was placed 

2S2 



DONOVAN'S DEATH AND FUNERAL 283 

at his right hand. The Stars and Stripes, which he 
followed from Atlanta to the Sea, were draped 
across his casket. So shall he rest until the last 
reveille is sounded. 

"Men from every walk of life gathered at the 
Donovan home to pay their final respects to the old 
champion. Young men whose rugged physique be- 
spoke the athlete rubbed shoulders with the slightly 
built bank clerk. The judiciary and the military, 
the captain of industry, and men from the realm of 
sport all met upon equal ground. They spoke in 
whispers, not of Donovan, the fighter, but of 
Michael Donovan, the man, the friend of former 
Presidents, the soldier, and the humanitarian. 

"Theodore Roosevelt, a former boxing pupil of 
Donovan's, telegraphed his regret at being unable to 
attend the funeral. 

"An endless stream of sober-faced men and 
women wended their way in and out of the Donovan 
home all morning. 

"There were many pathetic scenes when the mo- 
ment came for the family to bid adieu to their 
father, but hearts were wrung when Arthur, 
youngest son, now wearing the olive drab of his 
country, bent over the casket. The big, broad- 
shouldered youth, who has faced the gloves of the 
best middleweights in the ring and who is ready to 
face the shrapnel fire overseas, could not smother 
his grief. He collapsed and was led away weeping 
like a child. 



284 MIKE DONOVAN 

"The New York Athletic Club, where Donovan 
was instructor of boxing for more than a score of 
years, was well represented. W. H. Page, one- 
time president of the club; Harry Buermeyer, Matt 
Halpin, ex- Judge Jeremiah Mahoney, Fred Fort- 
meyer, Alpheus Geer, James Motley, and other 
prominent members were on hand. Captain J. P. 
Foley was in command of the military escort. Bill 
Muldoon, Bill Brown, Jim Pilkington, the former 
rowing champion; Charley Harvey, John O. Regan 
of the Metropolitan Rowing Club, and hundreds of 
other sporting men were there. 

"Six members of the First Ward Artillery of the 
New York State Guard carried the casket and 
placed it upon an armored motor car, which was 
draped in the colors. Twelve members of the Gen- 
eral Phil Kearney Post of the G. A. R., of which 
Donovan was a member, preceded the casket. The 
band of the First Field Artillery led the cortege to 
the church. 

"Mike Donovan was an American. In his youth 
he faced the fire of the Confederate forces that his 
country should live undivided. When this war 
broke out he immediately took up recruiting work. 
He helped in organizing the new First Field Artil- 
lery, which has taken the place of the old regiment, 
now known as the 104th Field Artillery. He in- 
structed the young men in the First in boxing, and 
it was after a session with the gloves that he con- 
tracted pneumonia, which resulted in his death. 



DONOVAN'S DEATH AND FUNERAL 285 

''He enlisted in the 71st Infantry of Illinois at 
the outbreak of the Civil War, and was soon hurled 
into the maelstrom of battle. He was at Antietam, 
was in at the fall of Vicksburg, fought with the fa- 
mous Irish Brigade at Gettysburg, and then was one 
of the army that marched with Sherman from At- 
lanta to the sea. He was in practically every one 
of the dozen or more pitched battles around Atlanta, 
and was in the assault on Fort McAllister on the 
Ogeechee River, near Savannah." 



APPENDIX 



Donovan's record 



Mike Donovan engaged in so many fights both 
with the gloves and also with the bare knuckles that 
it is a difficult task to recount them all. The fol- 
lowing record will suffice to show the reader about 
the number the Professor fought: 

At St. Louis, in July, 1866, met Billy Crowley 
with bare knuckles; 92 rounds; 3 hours 15 minutes. 
Donovan lost on a foul. 

At St. Louis, in July, 1866, met Mike Conroy, 
prize ring rules; 62 rounds; 2 hours 9 minutes. 
Donovan won. 

At St. Louis, in the same year, met Patsy Curtin, 
with gloves; 5 tounds. Donovan won. 

At Memphis, Tenn., 1866, met Jim Conroy, 
weighing 175 pounds, with bare knuckles. Donovan 
won. 

At Chicago, in 1867, met Pat McDermott, 185 
pounds, with gloves; 4 rounds. Donovan won. 

At Chicago, in 1867, met Dan Carr, 160 pounds, 
in a room, with bare knuckles; i round. Donovan 
won. 

At Grand Haven, Mich., in 1868, met Pat Kelly, 

287 



288 MIKE DONOVAN 

175 pounds, with bare knuckles; 7 rounds; 14 min- 
utes. Donovan won. 

At (near) Indianapolis, Ind., in January, 1869, fl 
met John Boyne, with bare knuckles (Boyne was 
a heavyweight) ; 23 rounds; 33 minutes. Donovan 
won. Mike tells of this fight in his reminiscences. 
It had some peculiar and interesting features. 

At New York City, at Harry Hill's, in 1872, 
Donovan won from the following, with gloves: 
Jack Curtin, in 2 rounds; Jordan, in 3 rounds; 
Teddy Leary, in 3 rounds. 

At New York City, in a room, he won from Jack 
Lawrence in 2 rounds. 

At New York City, in a room, he won from 
Byron McNeill in 3 rounds. 

At Philadelphia, in 1873, ^^^ J^^ Murray, with 
bare knuckles; 44 rounds; i hour 5 minutes. Po- 
lice stopped the fight. A draw. 

At Philadelphia, in 1873, "^^^ Langham, with 
the gloves; 4 rounds. Bested him in 3 rounds. He 
was an Englishman, from Liverpool. 

At Philadelphia, in 1873, at the Eleventh Street 
Boxing Club, met Pete Hogan, with the gloves; 4 
rounds. Donovan won. 

At Philadelphia, same year and place, met Smith, 
a heavyweight; 4 rounds. Donovan won. 

At Philadelphia, 1873, met Charlie Burke, with 
gloves ; 4 rounds. Donovan won. 

At Troy, N. Y., in 1877, ^^^ Dick Liston, with 



DONOVAN'S RECORD 289 

gloves but rules of the ring; 5 rounds. Donovan 
won. 

In April, 1878, met W. C. McClellan, with two- 
ounce gloves, rules of the ring; 14 rounds; 55 min- 
utes; for the middleweight championship of Amer- 
ica. Donovan lost on a foul. 

In May of the same year met McClellan, special 
rules, with two-ounce gloves; 7 rounds; 17 min- 
utes. Donovan won. 

In August of the same year went to the Pacific 
Coast. Met Billy Costello; 2 rounds. Donovan 
won. At Virginia City, Nevada. 

At San Francisco met George Crockett, (19^ 
pounds; 2 rounds. Donovan won. 

At San Francisco met W. C. McClellan, rules of 
the ring, with two-ounce gloves ; 96 rounds ; 3 hours 
48 minutes. Draw. In August, 1879. 

At Sacramento, Cal., met George Smith, 190 
pounds, with gloves. Donovan won in 3 rounds. 
Smith had recently challenged John J. Dwyer, the 
heavyweight champion of America, to fight for the 
championship. That fight never came off, as Don- 
ovan, who was a middleweight, had defeated him. 

At Boston, in 1880, met John L. Sullivan in an 
exhibition bout. It turned out to be a regular fight ; 
4 rounds. Honors were even at the finish. Sulli- 
van weighed over 180 pounds. Donovan less than 
155 pounds. 

In 1880 met Ed. McGlenchy, with gloves; 5 
rounds. Draw. 



290 MIKE DONOVAN 

Same year they met again, and Donovan bested 
him in 3 rounds. 

Same year they met for the third time at Mad- 
ison Square Garden. Donovan again bested him in 
3 rounds. 

At Boston, on March 21, 1 881, at the Music Hall, 
met John L. Sullivan for the second time. This 
affair did not add to Sullivan's popularity in Boston. 
It was an unsatisfactory exhibition of boxing. Sul- 
livan employed tactics that should not be allowed 
in the ring. Mike won easily on points. Sullivan 
weighed 200 pounds; Mike weighed less than 156 
pounds. 

At New York, in March, 1881, met George 
Rourke, in Terrace Garden. Bout stopped at the 
end of the third round by the police. It was sched- 
uled for four rounds. Donovan won on the news- 
paper decision. 

At New York, in fall of the same year, met 
Rourke for the second time, at Madison Square 
Garden; 4 rounds, Queensberry rules. At the end 
of three rounds Rourke walked off the stage. He 
used London Prize Ring rules after he had been 
going a short time. 

At New York, in August, 1882, at the American 
Institute, met Jack Davis, of England, 196 pounds, 
with gloves. Police stopped the bout at the end of 
the third round. 

At Philadelphia, in 1884, met Jack Welsh, 185 
pounds; 4 rounds. Donovan won. 



DONOVAN'S RECORD 291 

At New York, in October, 1884, met Walter 
Watson, 180 pounds, at Turn Verein Hall; 7 
rounds. Donovan won. 

At Williamsburgh, in 1888, met Jack Dempsey ; 6 
rounds. Donovan won. Dempsey was looked upon 
as invincible. He was called the "Nonpareil.'' He 
was then the middleweight champion. 

At New York, in May, 1891, met W. C. McClel- 
lan for the fourth and last time, at the Eighth 
Street Theater, and bested him in 48 seconds, one 
of the shortest fights on record. 

THE END 



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